Sabastian Sawe fends of strong opposition to bag World Athletics award

Marathon sensation Sabastian Sawe has been recognised with a prestigious award following his record-breaking performance at the 2026 London Marathon after being voted as the April World Athletics athlete of the month.

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He earned the accolade after becoming the first athlete in history to run a sub-two-hour marathon in a record-eligible competitive race, clocking a jaw-dropping 1:59:30 to successfully defend his London title.

The Kenyan averaged an astonishing pace of 2:49.9 per kilometre in what is already being hailed as one of the greatest marathon performances ever witnessed.

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The award placed Sawe among some of the biggest stars in global athletics who were also shortlisted following remarkable starts to their 2026 campaigns.

Among them was Ethiopian star Tigst Assefa, who produced another historic run at the London Marathon. Assefa shattered her own women’s-only world record by storming to victory in 2:15:41, slicing nine seconds off the previous mark she set on the same course in 2025.

Her triumph denied Kenya a clean sweep despite brilliant performances from Hellen Obiri and Joyciline Jepkosgei, who finished second and third, respectively, in 2:15:53 and 2:15:55 in one of the fastest women’s marathon races in history.

Assefa’s latest win marked her fourth World Marathon Major crown, adding to victories in Berlin in 2022 and 2023 as well as London in 2025 and 2026. Her 2:11:53 performance in Berlin in 2023 had briefly stood as a world record before Kenya’s Ruth Chepng'etich lowered the mark to 2:09:56 in 2024.

Canadian hammer throw queen Camryn Rogers was also among the nominees after sensationally opening her 2026 season. Rogers extended her own Canadian and American record to 81.13 metres in April, becoming only the second woman in history to surpass the 81-metre mark.

The reigning Olympic and world champion further stamped her authority by winning the women’s hammer throw at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi with an impressive 80.03m throw.

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American sprint star Gabby Thomas also enjoyed a spectacular opening to the season. Thomas began her campaign by winning the 100m at the Texas Relays in 11.00 seconds before anchoring her team to victory in the 4x100m relay.

She then made an explosive first competitive tour of Africa, dominating both the Addis Ababa Grand Prix and the Kip Keino Classic. In Nairobi, Thomas stormed to a championship-record 21.89 seconds in the women’s 200m, eclipsing the previous mark set by fellow American Sha'Carri Richardson in 2023.

Thomas also completed the sprint double in Nairobi by winning the 100m in 11.01 seconds before clocking a career-first sub-11-second run of 10.95 at the Gaborone Golden Grand Prix in Botswana.

Ethiopian distance specialist Yomif Kejelcha was recognised after a sensational marathon debut in London, where he finished second behind Sawe in 1:59:41 to complete the fastest marathon race ever recorded.

Teen sprint sensation Gout Gout also made the shortlist after rewriting history at the 2026 Australian Athletics Championships. The Australian prodigy clocked a stunning 19.67 seconds in the 200m, becoming the first Australian athlete to legally run under 20 seconds.

The performance inevitably sparked comparisons with sprint legend Usain Bolt, with Gout’s time surpassing Bolt’s fastest teenage mark of 19.93 seconds set back in 2004.

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Jamaican sprint powerhouse Kishane Thompson was also on the list after an impressive early-season campaign that included a world-best 14.92 seconds over 150m in April, alongside strong performances in both indoor and outdoor 60m races.