Kenyan marathon world record holder Sabastian Sawe has withdrawn from the 2026 BMW Berlin Marathon after suffering an injury, ruling him out of the September 27 race where he had been expected to defend his title. The race organisers confirmed Sawe’s withdrawal on August 27, saying the defending champion would miss this year’s event because of the injury. The nature and severity of the injury have not been publicly disclosed.
Sawe expressed disappointment over the decision, saying he had been looking forward to returning to Berlin and producing another strong performance.
“I had been looking forward to achieving something special on the streets of Berlin and crossing the finish line at the Brandenburg Gate,” Sawe said in a statement released by the race organisers. He also thanked the organisers for their support and wished the athletes taking part in the race well.
The withdrawal comes months after Sawe produced the most significant performance of his career at the 2026 London Marathon.
On April 26, Sawe became the first athlete to officially complete a marathon in under two hours, winning the race in 1:59:30 and setting a new men’s marathon world record. His performance improved the previous record of 2:00:35, set by fellow Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum at the 2023 Chicago Marathon. The Berlin Marathon was expected to provide Sawe with his first competitive marathon appearance since that historic London performance. He also entered the race as the defending champion after winning the 2025 Berlin Marathon in 2:02:16. That performance was the fastest marathon time recorded globally in 2025 and came despite warm conditions in the German capital.
Sawe had been expected to use Berlin’s fast course to challenge for another exceptional time after breaking the two-hour barrier in London. The German race has a long history of producing world records, making it one of the most prominent events on the international marathon calendar. His absence means the men’s race will proceed without the reigning champion and current world record holder. The 2026 BMW Berlin Marathon is scheduled for September 27, with organisers expecting a large international field. Despite Sawe’s withdrawal, the event will feature several leading athletes, particularly in the women’s race, where Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa is among the headline competitors.
For Sawe, the immediate priority is recovery from the undisclosed injury. He has not announced when he expects to return to competition. His withdrawal also means his anticipated title defence in Berlin will have to wait until another edition of the race, ending plans for a highly anticipated return following his record-breaking London performance.