Sabastian Sawe, known as the silent assassin, is aiming to break the men’s world marathon record in London. The current record stands at two hours and 35 seconds, set by Kelvin Kiptum. Sawe feels he is in similar condition to his attempt in Berlin last September.
He will be equipped with Adidas’s new Pro Evo 3 supershoe.
Sawe’s Confidence and Preparation
Sawe indicated that the new supershoe could lead to him breaking Kiptum’s London course record of 2:01:25 or potentially the world record. His agent, Eric Lilot, stated that they will ask the pacemakers to aim for a halfway split of 60 minutes and 30 seconds. Tailwinds are expected for the final miles.
Lilot described Sawe as a “silent assassin” who transforms into a “beast” on the road.
Sawe’s coach, Claudio Berardelli, confirmed his full recovery from a stress fracture in his foot and a back injury. The back injury caused him to miss 10 days of training. Berardelli noted that Sawe’s body responded well to picking up the volume and intensity of training again.
Berardelli believes Sawe is an exceptional athlete. “At least for my experiences, he is a different human being. An outlier.”
Rivals in a Stacked Field
Sawe faces a strong field of Kenyan and Ethiopian athletes. Jacob Kiplimo, who ran 57min 20sec in the half-marathon, Olympic champion Tamirat Tola, and Yomif Kejelcha are among his rivals.
Yomif Kejelcha, who makes his marathon debut, won world 10,000m silver in September. Some believe Kejelcha will make the podium. Kiplimo finished second to Sawe in London last year in 2:03:37.
Before a press conference, Sawe and Kiplimo engaged in a face-off.
Looking Ahead
Sawe is taking part in only his fifth career marathon.