- Sabastian Sawe has been hailed by his coach Claudio Berardelli days before the 2025 London Marathon.
- Sawe is among the favorites to win the 2025 London Marathon that is set to be held on April 27.
- Some of the other talented runners that will compete in the 2025 London Marathon are Alexander Mutiso Munyao, Eliud Kipchoge and Jacob Kiplimo.
Kenyan athlete Sabastian Sawe has received a lot of praise from his coach Claudio Berardelli ahead of the crunch 2025 London Marathon that is planned to go down on Sunday, April 27.
Sawe, who is set to run the second full marathon race of his career, is among the favorites to clinch the 2025 London Marathon.
The Kapsabet based athlete broke into the limelight last year when he ran away with the Valencia Marathon title in an impressive time of 2:02.05.
The time that Sawe clocked in the streets of Valencia was the second fastest ever debut in the history of full marathon, only behind his late compatriot Kelvin Kiptum, who won the 2022 Valencia Marathon in 2:01.53.
Therefore, Sawe has what it takes to overcome the deep 2025 London Marathon elite men’s field that has the likes of four-time champion Eliud Kipchoge and follow in Kiptum’s footsteps.
A win for the 30-year-old will make him match Kiptum’s achievements of winning both the Valencia Marathon and London Marathon in his first try.
Kiptum, who set the current world record of 2:00.35 in the 2024 Chicago Marathon before perishing in a road accident on February 12, 2025, won the 2023 London Marathon title in a course record time of 2:01.25 after his sensational performance in Valencia.
Sawe described as special ahead of 2025 London Marathon showdown
Sawe’s coach is confident that the man who won multiple half marathon titles last year can improve his personal best on Sunday.
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According to Berardelli, the one-time World Athletics road running champion has what it takes to achieve greater things.
“I’ve done this job for 21 years. I’m not sure I’ve ever coached a guy like him. In a very holistic perspective, he’s probably the best guy I have ever coached for the marathon.
More than back in the years of Martin Lel and even the current guys, I’m still coaching, will all the respect due to them, I’m yet to fully understand what is his potential.
The way he handles things, even from a mental point of view, he is very much in control. He looks like someone who has already run maybe three, four, five marathons,” he stated during a press briefing.
When asked whether Sawe could be the person to break Kiptum’s world record, the Italian coach stated that the best is yet to come from the reigning Copenhagen Half Marathon champion.
“I can’t predict that, but I know he can run really fast in the near future. Definitely under 2:01. But again I’m yet to fully understand his potential,” explained Berardelli.
Kipchoge awarded ahead of 2025 London Marathon
Meanwhile, Kipchoge, who is one of the Kenyans that is likely to finish inside the podium positions in the 2025 London Marathon, has been feted for his immense contributions to the road race.
The 40-year-old received the coveted John Disley Lifetime Achievement Award on Thursday and in the process became the sixth recipient of the award in its short history.
The other individuals who have been bagged the award in recent years include Paula Radcliffe, Brendan Foster, Hugh Jones, Liz McColgan and Tanni Grey-Thompson.
Reacting after being honored, Kipchoge stated that he is happy to collect the John Disley Lifetime Achievement Award since the London Marathon is special to him.
“I’ve always believed the London Marathon is more than a race, it’s a movement. In London, they speak 300 languages, it’s truly a home for every human being in this world.
And above all, the London Marathon promotes humanity. That’s why I’m beyond proud to receive the John Disley Lifetime Achievement Award,” he commented.
Finally, the entire world will be watching how Kipchoge will perform against the likes of younger runners like Sawe, Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo and the defending London Marathon champion Alexander Mutiso Munyao.
Some of the elite men’s field for the 2025 London Marathon
- Eliud Kipchoge (Kenya)
- Sabastian Sawe (Kenya)
- Alexander Mutiso Munyao (Kenya)
- Tamirat Tola (Ethiopia)
- Jacob Kiplimo (Uganda)