Sabastian Sawe rewarded Ksh8 million, car by President Ruto in heroic welcome at State House

New marathon world record holder Sabastian Sawe was on Thursday, 30 April treated to a heroic welcome by Kenyan President William Ruto at State House, Nairobi, in what was a celebration of his history-making milestone at the London Marathon last week.

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Sawe, on Sunday, 26 April, shattered the record books in the English capital, when he clocked a jaw dropping 1:59.30, to become the first man in history to run an official full marathon in under two hours.

Sabastian Sawe runs under two hours for first time in marathon history

His performance, which also bested the previous men’s world record of 2:00.35 set by the late Kelvin Kiptum at the 2023 Chicago Marathon, garnered worldwide recognition, with his motherland stopping at nothing to celebrate the moment.

On Wednesday, 29 April, the 31-year-old received a water salute upon jetting back into the country aboard a Kenya Airways flight KQ 113 at 8:35 pm, before being embraced by family and dignitaries, who had been awaiting his triumphant return.

Few hours later on Thursday morning, Sawe embarked on a visit to the house on the hill, upon the invitation of President Ruto, who took the turn to usher the record-breaker back to the country, while congratulating him for his feat.

“Our new marathon world record holder Sabastian Sawe, from the bottom of my heart, and on behalf of the nation, and the people of Kenya, we want to send out a big congratulation to you for this unmatched feat,” President Ruto said in his opening speech, describing Sawe’s record as one that was “exceedingly rare” and which "only came once in a generation, and sometimes only once in a lifetime."

Emphasizing on the weight of Sawe’s achievement, Ruto put the new record alongside the milestones of Neill Armstrong, who was the first human to walk on the surface of the moon, and Roger Bannister, who ran the first sub-4-minute mile, in the same category of “humans who redefined possibility, stretched the boundaries of belief, challenged doubt, inspired courage, and compelled humanity to aim higher.”

“What Sawe achieved is not merely a sporting triumph, but a defining moment in history of human endurance,” Ruto added. “Future generations will look back on 26 April 2026 as the day a man broke through physical and psychological barriers long thought insurmountable, and the name forever attached to that moment is Sabastian Sawe. We commend him not only for his extraordinary patriotism, but for emphasizing Kenya's status as the true home of distance running excellence, and being one of our finest ambassadors, by presenting the very best to the world.”

As part of the presentaries, Ruto, through the Ministry of Sports, awarded Sawe a cash prize worth Ksh8 million, in line with the athletes’ reward scheme ascended by the Government last September.

Tens of millions Sabastian Sawe earned after breaking sub two-hour marathon barrier

The first cheque presented to Sawe was Ksh5 million, for breaking the world record, and the second being the Ksh3 million for securing gold.

“Sawe’s achievement is no mean feat, and we are all rallying behind our athletes to make sure that their talents become a source of livelihood, as well as build meaningful careers,” Sports CS, Salim Mvurya said.

Sawe, who presented Ruto with an autographed pair of the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 shoes he used in running the London marathon, was further awarded two personalized number plates inscribed “01 59 30” (his world record time), and promised a new car by the President.

"We have awarded him (Sawe) some number plates and I know he must be wondering where to place them," Ruto said jokingly. "I will get you car where you will fix them."

“Huge thanks to the President for the invite today,” Sawe said in his speech. “The job I did in London was not just for me, but on behalf of all us; to build Kenya and its name. It is my delight that the moment has brought joy to all of us, and I promise to keep building my talent to achieve more success to our country.”