Why Sabastian Sawe’s historic season has taken an unexpected turn

Kenyan marathon star Sabastian Sawe will not defend his Berlin Marathon title next month after an injury forced him to withdraw from the race, ending hopes of seeing the world-record holder return to the streets where he announced himself as one of the sport’s most formidable athletes.

The 31-year-old was expected to make his competitive return at the BMW Berlin Marathon on September 27, almost five months after producing the performance that changed marathon running forever.

His withdrawal was confirmed by race organisers on Thursday, August 27, with Sawe citing an injury but providing no details about its nature or severity. His recovery timeline also remains unclear, leaving Kenyan athletics fans waiting for further information about when the world record holder could return to competition.

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The timing could hardly be more frustrating for Sawe.

After winning the Berlin Marathon in 2025, he had been preparing to return to Germany as the defending champion and one of the biggest names in the field. His plans appeared even more ambitious after his extraordinary performance in London in April, where he became the first man to officially break the two-hour barrier in a record-eligible marathon.

Sawe stopped the clock at 1:59:30 at the London Marathon, taking 65 seconds off the previous world record held by the late Kelvin Kiptum. World Athletics later ratified the mark, cementing Sawe’s place in marathon history.

It was the kind of achievement that immediately changed the conversation around his career.

Suddenly, the question was no longer simply whether Sawe could win major marathons. Attention shifted towards how much faster he could possibly run and whether the Kenyan had another extraordinary performance waiting in his legs.

Berlin appeared to offer the perfect opportunity.

The German course is renowned for producing fast times, and Sawe had already demonstrated his ability to thrive there after winning the 2025 edition in 2:02:16. The official BMW Berlin Marathon results confirm his victory last year, when he finished well clear of the field despite temperatures reaching around 25 degrees Celsius.

A Return That Was Supposed to Be Special

Sawe’s Berlin campaign had initially looked like a natural continuation of his historic London triumph.

In May, World Athletics reported that the Kenyan had confirmed his intention to return to Berlin and defend his title, with Sawe expressing his happiness at coming back to a race that had already played an important role in his career.

His withdrawal therefore represents more than the loss of another elite competitor from a major marathon.

It removes the defending champion from a race in which many expected him to test the limits of the 1:59:30 world record, particularly after he suggested following his London triumph that an even faster time could eventually be possible.

“Anything is possible, it’s a matter of time,” Sawe said after his historic London performance, reflecting the confidence that has accompanied his rapid rise to the top of the marathon world.

That belief was backed by the work he had put into his preparation, with Sawe previously pointing to his training programme and the quality of the athletes around him as important ingredients behind his breakthrough.

His training environment has included elite Kenyan marathoners such as Benson Kipruto and Amos Kipruto, the latter finishing fourth in London in 2:01:39 behind Sawe, Yomif Kejelcha and Jacob Kiplimo. World Athletics’ official results recorded Sawe’s 1:59:30 victory ahead of Kejelcha’s 1:59:41 and Kiplimo’s 2:00:28.

The depth around Sawe has helped turn his extraordinary performances into something that appears less like a one-off achievement and more like the beginning of a new era in his career.

That is also what makes the injury particularly significant.

At 31, Sawe is entering what could be one of the most important periods of his career, and the priority now will be ensuring that the injury is properly managed rather than rushing back simply because of the importance of the Berlin race.

Berlin Loses Its Defending Champion

Race director Mark Milde expressed disappointment at losing Sawe from the field while offering his best wishes for the Kenyan’s recovery.

“We would have very much liked to see back in Berlin. All the more, we regret that he will not be able to compete this year. We wish him all the best for his recovery and hope to welcome him back to Berlin soon.”

The absence creates a major change to the men’s race because Sawe was not simply another elite entrant.

He was the defending champion, the current world-record holder and one of the most exciting marathoners in the world.

His 2025 Berlin victory had already provided a glimpse of what was coming. Sawe ran 2:02:16 in difficult heat, producing what the race organisers described as a world-leading performance and the ninth-fastest marathon ever at the time.

His return was therefore expected to be one of the major stories of the 2026 race.

Instead, attention will now turn towards the rest of the elite field, including Ethiopian star Tigst Assefa, who headlines the women’s race. Assefa is herself a world-record holder and has already produced a remarkable history in Berlin, where she ran 2:11:53 in 2023.