Sebastian Sawe welcomed home in Kenya after first sub-two-hour marathon in London

Sawe says he is already thinking about his next competition in the autumn and believes he can run an even faster time.

Sawe's time of 01:59:30 is more than one minute faster than Kelvin Kiptum's 2:00:35 (2023). He has won all four marathons he has entered and says he plans to compete again in the autumn, aiming for an even faster time.

Sawe is expected to meet Kenya's President William Ruto.

"He used to tell me that one day, he was going to break the record. He was so determined and hopeful that he would," said Simeon Sawe. "I am happy for him and all of us here. We celebrated so much, my throat still hurts from all the cheering."

"I am happy about this good day, that you came to celebrate with me, I did not expect it," Sawe said to the crowd.

Sawe's parents drove six hours from their home to be at the airport to greet him and join his supporters.

Sawe arrived at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to a crush of cameras as dancers and musicians performed; his Kenyan Airways plane was given a water cannon salute.

Sawe finished the London Marathon with an official time of 01:59:30, becoming the first man to run a marathon in under two hours in competitive race conditions. He crossed the halfway mark in 1:00:29 and ran the second half in 59:01, beating Kelvin Kiptum's 2023 record of 2:00:35.