- Sabastian Sawe wins Berlin Marathon 2025, extending his perfect record on Sunday, September 21, in Germany.
- Sawe secured a commanding victory with a time of 2:02:15, leading the race from start to finish.
- In the women’s, Kenya also celebrated a win as Rosemary Wanjiru narrowly defeated Ethiopia’s Dera Dida by mere seconds, finishing in 2:21:05.
Kenyan long-distance marathon runner Sabastian Sawe has clinched his third marathon title in as many attempts, after winning at the 51st edition of the Berlin Marathon in Germany on Sunday, September 21.
The reigning London Marathon titleholder was unable to surpass the world record of 2:01:09, set by Eliud Kipchoge on this same course in 2022, nor his own personal best of 2:02:05 from Valencia.
However, under high temperatures in the German capital on Sunday morning, Sawe secured a decisive victory with a time of 2:02:15, after commanding the race from the very start.
The race held deep significance for Sawe, who ran to honor his late peer, Kelvin Kiptum still the world record holder with a time of 2:00:35 from Chicago and the legendary Eliud Kipchoge.
He outpaced his competitors by nearly four minutes, with Japan’s Akira Akasaki claiming second place in 2:06:15, and Ethiopia’s Chimdessa Debele rounding out the podium in 2:06:57.
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“Today I did my best and I’m so happy,” Sawe said after the race.
Unfavorable weather conditions challenged the 30-year-old, as temperatures rose from 16 to 23 degrees Celsius, hindering the athletes’ ability to achieve faster times.
“You can’t do anything about the weather. I was ready for everything today,” he remarked.
Sawe had already broken away from the field by the one-hour mark, with only a few pacemakers remaining.
He dropped them with 19 kilometers to go, but after the 35-kilometer mark, the intense heat caused his pace to slow. Despite running alone, he persevered and claimed victory.
Rosemary Wanjiru triumphs in the women’s category at the 2025 Berlin Marathon
In the women’s division, Kenya also celebrated a win as Rosemary Wanjiru narrowly defeated Ethiopia’s Dera Dida by mere seconds, finishing in 2:21:05.
Dida followed closely in 2:21:08, while Azmera Gebru of Ethiopia completed the podium with a time of 2:21:29 on the same course Sunday morning.