Athletics-Kenyan Sawe pulls out of Berlin Marathon through injury

Defending champion Sabastian Sawe has ​withdrawn from next month's Berlin ​Marathon with a "heavy heart" ‌due ​to injury, organisers said on Thursday. The 31-year-old Kenyan had been expected to return to the ‌German capital after a landmark performance at the London Marathon in April, where he became the first man to run a competitive marathon ‌in under two hours with a time of 1:59:30.

Sawe finished ‌the Berlin Marathon in two hours two minutes and 16 seconds in 2025, clocking the world leading time of the year despite temperatures reaching up to ⁠25 degrees ​Celsius. "It is ⁠with a heavy heart that I must inform you I am forced to withdraw ⁠from the Berlin Marathon due to an injury," he said in a ​statement, without specifying the nature of the injury.

"I had been ⁠looking forward to achieving something special on the streets of Berlin and crossing ⁠the ​finish line at the Brandenburg Gate. "I want to thank everyone who continues to support me and I wish all the runners ⁠taking part a great race."

The women's field for the September 27 ⁠race remains strong ⁠and includes Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa, who took nine seconds off her own women’s-only world record in London.