Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe lived up to his billing as favourite as he produced a long solo run to win the men’s race at the BMW Berlin Marathon – a World Athletics Platinum Label Road race – in a world-leading 2:02:16.
A similar solo effort earned his compatriot Rosemary Wanjiru, second in Berlin on her outstanding marathon debut in 2022, a second major title following her 2023 Tokyo Marathon win, although she finished only three seconds clear of Ethiopia’s Dera Dida after faltering over the final kilometre before crossing in 2:21:05.
Sawe has been an instant success over the marathon distance since taking it up last year, following his victory in the half marathon at the 2023 World Road Running Championships.
Today he claimed his third victory in as many marathons after running solo over the final 17 kilometres of the 42.195km event to earn a third all-time top 20 placing.
His debut race in Valencia saw him victorious in 2:02:05, making him the fastest marathon runner of 2024 and the fifth fastest runner of all time. He followed up this year by winning the London Marathon in 2:02:27.
Sawe, who asked for seven pacemakers to be supplied as he targeted the course record of 2:01:09, set in 2002 by Sawe’s illustrious compatriot Eliud Kipchoge, faced serious opposition in the form of defending champion Milkesa Mengesha.
But the Ethiopian found it tough keeping up with Sawe’s swift early pace, with 10km being passed 28:26, and went off the back of the lead group consisting of the Kenyan and four pacers soon afterwards, dropping out shortly before the 30km marker.
Sawe finished almost four minutes ahead of his nearest challenger, Japan’s Akiraa Akasaki, who clocked 2:16:15, with third place going to Ethiopia’s Chimdessa Debele in 2:06:57.
Debele’s compatriot Guye Adola was fourth in 2:07:11, with Japan’s Urano Yuhei fifth on 2:07:35.
Wanjiru made a similarly bold start to Sawe in the women’s race, but spent the closing stages of the race looking anxiously over her shoulder at the rapidly advancing figure of Dida.
Ethiopia filled five of the first 10 places in the women’s race, with Azmera Gebru finishing third in 2:21:29, 11 seconds ahead of Kenya’s Viola Cheptoo. Fantu Worku was fifth in 2:21:57, ahead of Germany’s Fabienne Koenigstein on 2:22:17.
(World Athletics)
