Kenya’s world record holder Sawe withdraws from Berlin Marathon

What the report says

Kenyan marathon runner Sebastian Sawe has withdrawn from the Berlin Marathon later this month because of an undisclosed injury, according to Al Jazeera’s report published on August 27, 2026. Sawe said on Instagram that he was “forced” to pull out of the race, which is scheduled for September 27, and said he had hoped to do something special in Berlin.

The 31-year-old is one of the sport’s biggest current names after winning the London Marathon in April in 1:59:30, a performance the article describes as breaking the two-hour barrier. Berlin had been expected to be his first race since that victory. Sawe also won the 2025 Berlin Marathon in 2:02:16, despite difficult weather and running much of the latter stages without a pacemaker, the report said.

Al Jazeera noted that Berlin is widely regarded as a fast marathon course and often attracts record attempts. The article also pointed to another possible challenge to Sawe’s standing later in the year, with Ethiopian runner Yomif Kejelcha due to run the Valencia Marathon in December. Kejelcha was the runner-up in London and recently set a world half-marathon record, according to the report.

The withdrawal matters because Sawe has emerged as a major figure in elite marathon running, and his absence changes the outlook for one of the season’s marquee road-racing events.