‘I was not thinking to run a world record’

Sabastian Sawe has admitted to the BBC that he was surprised to break the marathon world record in London, becoming the first person to run an official sub-two-hour race.

Before securing sporting immortality by finishing in 1:59:30, the Kenyan underwent 12 months of frequent drug testing, including 25 out-of-competition tests before last September’s Berlin Marathon.

He suffered a stress fracture in his foot during that race and has also had back issues which put his participation in doubt for London.