Sabastian Sawe has always had a propensity to surprise.

Having never competed on the road, the Kenyan began the 2022 Seville half marathon as a pacemaker, proceeded to drop everybody within the first 10km, and carried on to claim victory in a course record time.

Running the second-fastest marathon debut in history in Valencia in 2024, Sawe again hinted at his potential.

That time of two hours two minutes five seconds was only 12 seconds slower than the late Kelvin Kiptum’s first marathon two years earlier, before Kiptum went on to break the world record in Chicago in 2023.

There were signs.

But they were far from sufficient to prepare anyone for the momentous occasion which unfolded on a perfect April morning in London on Sunday.

Sporting immortality, secured in 1:59:30.

Speaking to BBC Sport 24 hours after making history as the first person to run a sub-two-hour marathon in a competitive race, Sawe said the time came as a surprise even to him, with his focus primarily on retaining his title.

“It was not in my mind. I was well prepared for this year’s London Marathon, but what comes surprised me because I was not thinking to run a world record.”

But Sawe, 30, says he can go even faster.

“It was possible to run faster yesterday,” he said. “Even 1:58 is possible.”

Sawe, born in Kenya’s Rift Valley, where his father worked as a maize farmer, declared it “a day to remember” after obliterating Kiptum’s world record by 65 seconds.

Others searched for the words to pay appropriate tribute to an accomplishment once considered impossible.

“Nobody thought that a sub-two-hour marathon under World Athletics conditions would be done in their lifetime,” London Marathon race director Hugh Brasher told BBC Sport.

“This is an unbelievable day for sport. It is sport and history in the making.”

Former women’s marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe said: “We’ve witnessed history being made, but it is more than that.

“It is an iconic barrier that there has been this discussion over for a long time about whether it is even possible.”

Sawe had to remain patient for his breakthrough, one which at times appeared might never come.

Raised predominantly by his grandmother, he moved to Iten to pursue his running ambitions in 2017, but his time in Kenya’s ‘home of champions’ failed to produce the desired results.

It was at a point when his dreams could not have felt further away that he was introduced to the man who has assisted him to greatness – Italian coach Claudio Berardelli.

As injury and the postponement of races caused by the coronavirus pandemic left Sawe struggling to make a living through running, his uncle, Uganda’s 800m record holder Abraham Chepkirwok, put him in touch.

It proved a pivotal intervention.

Berardelli, an esteemed coach in Kenya who has described Sawe as a “special one”, instantly recognised his marathon potential and moved him away from the track.

He says Sawe, whose success he puts down to physiological advantages paired with an excellent attitude, is far from reaching his full potential only four races into his marathon career.

Sawe backed up his 2:02:05 debut with major victories in London and Berlin in 2025 – in 2:02:27 and 2:02:16 respectively – and had targeted the world record in the latter before that bid was ended by the 25C heat.

Sawe achieved his world record in London despite suffering a stress fracture in his foot following Berlin, while a back issue which left him “almost giving up” in January delayed his preparations until early February.

It is also notable that he ran the historic time in London, a course considered slower than Berlin and Chicago and which had not witnessed a men’s world record since 2002.

The great Eliud Kipchoge became the first man to run a marathon in under two hours in 2019, on a course with only 2.4 metres of incline, which was not record-eligible as it was held under controlled conditions.

Even more astonishing in London was that debutant Yomif Kejelcha also went sub-two, and half marathon world record holder Jacob Kiplimo also beat Kiptum’s former record.

Kipchoge wrote on Instagram: “Today is a historical day for marathon running!

“Seeing two athletes break the magical two-hour barrier at London Marathon is the proof that we are just at the beginning of what is possible when talent, progress and an unwavering belief in the human potential come together.

“My deepest congratulations to both Sabastian Sawe and Yomif Kejelcha. Breaking the sub-two-hour barrier in the marathon has long been a dream for runners everywhere, and today you’ve made that dream come true.”

At the finish line, Sawe held up sponsors Adidas’ latest ‘supershoe’ with his time written along the side, acknowledging the technology which had assisted him.

The Adidas Adios Pro 3 shoes, available to purchase for an eye-watering £450, weigh just 97g – 30% lighter than the previous model.

The company claims they deliver an 11% greater forefoot energy return and improve running economy by 1.6% compared to its predecessor. Tigst Assefa also wore the shoes in breaking the women’s record on Sunday.

To benefit from those statistics, however, Sawe runs about 200km per week – averaging almost 30km every day – at altitude, and credited his increase in volume as one of the key factors in his progress.

Developments in fuelling have also aided progress in endurance events. Sawe reportedly took on 115g of carbohydrates per hour during the race, following a breakfast consisting of two slices of bread with honey and tea.

It all combined to allow him to cover 26.2 miles at an average pace of 2:50 mins/km, or 4:33 mins/mile, including a 5km split of 13:42 from 35-40km as he sped up towards the finish.

However, amid the spate of high-profile doping cases involving Kenyan athletes, including women’s marathon world record holder Ruth Chepngetich, he has also had an awareness for the need to instil confidence in these performances.

Determined to prove he is competing clean, Adidas provided $50,000 (£36,900) to the Athletics Integrity Unit, the sport’s anti-doping body, to frequently test Sawe over a 12-month period.

That began with a reported 25 out-of-competition tests in the lead-up to Berlin in September, continuing at a similar rate as he prepared for London.

Sawe said on Monday: “It’s very important to me because it gets out the doubt in my career of athletics and yesterday’s performance.

“It shows Sabastian Sawe is clean. It shows running clean is good, and we can run clean and we can run faster.

“It keeps the awareness that Sabastian Sawe is not to be doubted, and he is a clean athlete.”

Wherever Sawe goes next, with his coach backing his claim that there is more to come, the world will be watching.

The Open will return to Royal Lytham & St Annes in 2028, with US President Donald Trump’s Turnberry, and Muirfield, among the courses to miss out.

Turnberry last hosted The Open in 2009 – five years before Trump bought the course – while Muirfield has not held the tournament since 2013.

Last year R&A officials met with Trump’s son Eric to discuss the tournament returning to Turnberry.

At the time R&A chief executive Mark Darbon said there were “big logistical issues” at the venue.

Darbon also acknowledged that the UK government had spoken with the R&A about Turnberry hosting The Open.

Eric Trump told BBC Sport last year that his father “deserves” to have his course host The Open again – but will probably have left the White House by the time it does.

Asked on Monday about Turnberry and Muirfield’s futures as Open venues, he said “dialogue was ongoing”.

It will be the 12th time The Open has been held at Royal Lytham, which last staged golf’s oldest major in 2012.

Darbon said: “This is one of golf’s most cherished and historic venues.”

The return to Lytham will mark the third time in six years that the north-west coast of England will host the tournament.

The Open was held at Royal Liverpool in 2023 and will be hosted by Royal Birkdale in Southport from 16-19 July this year.

In 2027 the Old Course in St Andrews will stage the event for a record-extending 31st time.

The Open, the final major of the year, is usually held during the third week of July, but is being pushed back to 3-6 August in 2028 to avoid clashing with the Los Angeles Olympic Games golf competitions, which are being played from 19-29 July.

Lytham, near Blackpool, has a pedigree of hosting some of golf’s most prestigious tournaments.

It has staged 11 Opens, five Women’s Opens, two Ryder Cups, five Senior Opens, the Walker Cup and the Curtis Cup.

Despite being close to the coast, players and spectators cannot see the sea, with the tight plot of land hemmed in by a railway track and houses.

The R&A has required Lytham to carry out significant work to create space for the demands of a modern Open.

The main change centred around remodelling the par-five 11th – turning it from a dog-leg to a 601-yard straight hole by removing numerous bushes – to allow for the construction of a new practice area.

There have also been improvements to the course’s internal road system to provide better access and for routine maintenance.

The changes will be in the spotlight when the course hosts the AIG Women’s Open from 29 July to 2 August.

The Open first went to Lytham in 1926, with legendary American amateur Bobby Jones, who would go on to help design Augusta National and co-found the Masters, winning the first of three Claret Jugs.

Spanish great Seve Ballesteros claimed two of his three Open wins in Lytham, in 1979 and 1988.

Turnberry, which hosted the most recent of its four Opens in 2009, has significant logistical issues, despite its Ailsa Course being recognised as one of the world’s finest layouts.

Darbon said last year that he “would love” to return to the Ayrshire course on the west coast of Scotland and that a feasibility study had been commissioned.

It appeared to be a softening of the R&A’s stance given Darbon’s predecessor, Martin Slumbers, strongly suggested in 2021 that the course would not be restored to the Open rota while Trump was associated with the venue, expressing concerns that the focus would be on issues off the course.

Trump bought the resort in 2014 and has spent £200m on improvements.

BBC Sport was told last year that the UK government had asked the R&A about its position.

Darbon has said the main issue is not who owns Turnberry but whether the venue and town are equipped to cope with the number of people attending the tournament.

He pointed out that the total attendance at Turnberry 17 years ago was 120,000, while Royal Portrush, last year’s Open hosts, coped with 280,000 spectators.

Muirfield, 18 miles to the east of Edinburgh, is one of Scotland’s most historic courses and has hosted The Open 16 times, although not since 2013.

Two logistical issues are hampering the course now.

Darbon has pointed to infrastructure challenges around practice facilities, while the long-term staging of the Genesis Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club – next door to Muirfield – creates further complications.

Last week the Scottish Open signed a deal to stay at the Renaissance until 2030, with the tournament played in the week before The Open to allow players time to adapt to the unique challenges presented by seaside links courses.

As the battle for places in Europe hots up in the Premier League, the race to shuffle papers to satisfy Uefa’s bureaucrats has been just as intense.

This is because European football’s governing body has strict multi-club ownership (MCO) rules.

Those rules could cause a team to be demoted from one competition to another, like Crystal Palace were from the Europa League to the Conference League last season, or miss out on Europe altogether.

Half of the Premier League clubs are now in some form of multi-club arrangement.

Everton, Chelsea and Nottingham Forest all had their lawyers scrambling for a solution before Uefa’s 1 March deadline.

Brighton, meanwhile, will hope the action they took three years ago still meets requirements.

Clubs have been locked in talks with Uefa to make sure they have got their house in order.

But have they done enough?

Uefa says sporting integrity is of “fundamental importance” and that it must be “undisputable”, and that two teams who are very closely linked should not play in the same competition.

This includes, but is not limited to, the total shareholding and voting rights – 30% generally being the trigger.

Just as important is the test of decisive influence – directors or staff members who are involved in key decisions.

What does this mean in practice?

If Uefa’s Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) rules that there is a conflict, then one club must be removed.

Priority is given to the team in the higher-ranked competition – this could apply if one team is in, say, Champions League qualifying and could drop into the Europa League.

Then it is domestic league position.

Finally, Uefa coefficient – which the Premier League sits top of.

After years of allowing clubs to register solutions after they had qualified, last season Uefa brought forward its compliance date to 1 March – and it caught out three teams.

Palace, Irish club Drogheda United and Slovak outfit FC DAC 1904 became the first to face punishment under the MCO regulations.

All three took their cases to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas), and lost.

In December, Uefa sent a fresh circular underlining that 1 March is still “a strict deadline for compliance”, citing the rulings made by Cas.

This led to the flurry of activity across several clubs at the end of February.

The link between Everton and Roma is not too well known, but it could yet be the most compelling story.

The Toffees are 11th in the Premier League, but only three points off sixth. As it stands, sixth earns Europa League football.

In Serie A, Roma are level on points with fifth-placed Como, which would also come with a spot in the Europa League.

The two clubs are owned by the Friedkin Group through subsidiary entities.

Everton are controlled by Roundhouse Capital Holdings Limited, and Roma under Romulus and Remus Investments.

The two people with significant control in Roundhouse Capital Holdings are Analaura Moreira-Dunkel and Marcus Watts – high-ranking officials in the Friedkin Group.

They are also on the Everton board and were associated with Roma in the years immediately after the takeover but no longer have an identifiable role at the Italian club.

Everton‘s issue could be that US billionaire Dan Friedkin is both their chairman and president of Roma.

Friedkin is also the ‘person of significant control’ at Pursuit Sports UK, an umbrella group for sports operations.

Uefa’s definition of “control”, “decisive influence” and “shared decision-making” is broad.

Everton will have to prove there is no risk or appearance of involvement by Friedkin in both clubs.

Palace argued that John Textor had no such say at Selhurst Park, but Cas agreed with Uefa that he had a role in several transfers and appointments.

Everton are confident that they have a solution, but are not saying what that is.

Whether that is a case of playing their cards close to their chest or not, only time will tell.

The club have ruled out a blind trust, the route Nottingham Forest appear to have chosen.

If the CFCB does need to make a decision, the ownership structure and Friedkin’s presence on both boards would be looked at.

To many fans, Chelsea and Strasbourg may be the most obvious example of two clubs operating as one entity.

They are both under the BlueCo umbrella and if they do end up in the same competition, it will be a serious tests of Uefa’s multi-club ownership policy.

Manager Liam Rosenior left the French outfit for Stamford Bridge in December, while 11 players have moved between the two clubs this season.

BlueCo have made changes – but will it be enough?

On 17 February, four members of the board of BlueCo Alsace, the French club’s holding company, stepped down.

They were Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, Chelsea‘s joint-sporting directors. James Pade and Jeffrey Wilbur, noted as Chelsea directors on the Premier League’s public register, were also removed.

At UK Companies House, co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali stood down as directors of BlueCo Data Limited on 28 February. They are still on the west London club’s board.

If the two clubs are permitted into the same competition, and following past precedent, it is likely they would not be allowed to trade players until January 2028.

At one stage, it looked as if Chelsea would be in the Champions League, but their form has nosedived to such an extent that they might not make Europe via the league at all.

Strasbourg are eighth in Ligue 1 and have a small chance of qualifying domestically – but if they win the Conference League, they will earn a place in the Europa League.

Uefa says that a European titleholder must get European football, but there is no clause to cover this in the MCO regulations.

Chelsea are in the FA Cup final – and if they win it, that would also result in Europa League football.

There could be a decision for Uefa to make.

Last year, Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis placed the club into a blind trust in case they qualified for the Champions League.

That could have presented a conflict with his other club, Olympiakos.

With Forest in the semi-finals of the Europa League, once again they have a chance of being in the Champions League. And Olympiakos look like being in it too.

In a blind trust, relevant parties transfer their shares to independent trustees, whereby all the decision-making of the club will rest solely under the control of the third party.

The club are controlled through a company called NF Football Investments.

Until 28 February, Marinakis was the only person with significant control.

He was removed and it was passed to another company, Pittville Four Limited, controlled by Janet Lucy Gibson, Henry Peter Hickman and Eleanor Catherine Walsh.

Those three independent trustees were also added to the football club’s board, replacing Mighael Dugher, Simon Forster and Jonathan Owen.

Forest’s problem could be that the new additions had to pass the Premier League’s owners and directors test.

It was not until 17 April that Companies House was updated.

The Premier League’s register of directors, last updated on 2 April, still lists Marinakis, Dugher, Forster and Owen.

Will the lodging of the blind trust on 28 February be enough? Or would Uefa consider 17 April to be date the club were compliant?

Forest are adamant that control was officially relinquished by Marinakis on 28 February and they will have no issue with Uefa.

Two years ago, the CFCB accepted a blind trust to admit Manchester City and Girona to the Champions League, and Manchester United and Nice to the Europa League, satisfied that multi-cub ownership issues had been resolved.

However, at the time it stated that it “will not be bound by this alternative in subsequent seasons”.

Until the CFCB makes another ruling on a blind trust, there is no absolute certainty it would be accepted.

Tony Bloom has expanded his football interests after making such a success of Brighton.

Bloom now holds shares in Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts and Belgian club Union Saint-Gilloise.

All three could qualify for the same European competition this season.

If Hearts or Union Saint-Gilloise secure a place in Champions League qualifying, that could threaten Brighton‘s place in Europe.

That is because the team in the higher-ranked European competition would get priority if Uefa were to find a breach of MCO rules.

For instance, by losing in Champions League qualifying Hearts or Union SG could potentially drop into the same competition as Brighton.

MCO rules would not allow this and the Seagulls would not be admitted into the competition at all.

Bloom had to reduce his controlling stake in Union Saint-Gilloise below 30% before the 2023-24 Europa League season, as Brighton had also qualified.

When he bought into Hearts last year, Bloom clearly had this conflict in mind by purchasing 29% of the Edinburgh club.

Bloom will hope his house is already in order.

Leeds‘ hopes of playing in Europe were ended by Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final defeat against Chelsea.

But steps had been taken to resolve a conflict with Rangers if they had lifted the trophy and qualified for the Europa League.

Leeds are 100% owned by 49ers Enterprises, while a consortium including 49ers Enterprises owns 51% of Rangers.

Paraag Marathe is on the board of Leeds and exercises 49ers Enterprises’ voting rights. But he was also the vice-chairman of Rangers.

On 27 February, Marathe stepped down from his position at Ibrox. As did Gene Schneur, who was on the board of both clubs.

Leeds say they believe this would have cleared any issue with the MCO rules.

Sabastian Sawe made history at the London Marathon by becoming the first athlete to run a sub-two-hour marathon in a competitive race.

The 30-year-old Kenyan crossed the line to win in one hour 59 minutes 30 seconds, more than one minute faster than the late Kelvin Kiptum’s previous record of 2:00:35, set in 2023.

The great Eliud Kipchoge became the first man to run a marathon in under two hours in 2019, but that was not record-eligible as it was held under controlled conditions.

Already on world record pace as he crossed the halfway mark in 1:00:29, Sawe was able to speed up over the second half of the race to run even faster than Kipchoge’s time.

Sawe made his decisive move before the final 10km, with only debutant Yomif Kejelcha able to cover his surge off the front.

Remarkably, Kejelcha became the second man to run under two hours in race conditions, finishing runner-up in 1:59:41.

Half marathon world record holder Jacob Kiplimo also crossed the line faster than Kiptum’s former record, completing the podium in 2:00:28.

Sawe, speaking on BBC TV, said: “I am feeling good. I am so happy. It is a day to remember for me.”

“We started the race well. Approaching finishing the race, I was feeling strong. Finally reaching the finish line, I saw the time, and I was so excited.”

In the women’s race, Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa improved her own world record for a women-only field as she surged clear of Kenyan rivals Hellen Obiri and Joyciline Jepkosgei in a thrilling finish to retain her title in 2:15:41.

Swiss great Marcel Hug cruised to a record-equalling eighth London Marathon victory in the elite men’s wheelchair race, tying level with Great Britain’s David Weir by winning for a fifth successive year.

Catherine Debrunner also retained the elite women’s wheelchair title as the Swiss burst clear of American Tatyana McFadden in the closing stages.

Much of the focus beforehand had been about Sawe – winner of last year’s race in 2:02:27 – targeting Kiptum’s London Marathon course record of 2:01:25.

He told BBC Sport this week that it was “only a matter of time” before he broke Kiptum’s world record, adding “I hope and wish one day [it will be me]” when asked about becoming the first person to run under two hours in a race.

Sawe had targeted Kiptum’s world record in Berlin last September, when he went through halfway in 60:16, before that bid was ultimately undone by the hot weather.

But, in perfect race conditions in London, Sawe stormed down The Mall to achieve the historic feat.

BBC commentator and former world champion Steve Cram said: “There are things that happen in sport and you want to be there to see history being made – if you are watching on TV then well done, but if you’re in London, it is a privilege and it is incredible.

“We said it was a day for records but I don’t think in our wildest dreams we could have foreseen this.”

After covering the first half of the course in 60:29, Sawe moved through the gears to complete the second half in just 59:01.

Only 63 men in history have run a half marathon as quickly as that – with Sawe’s own personal best standing at 58:05.

His splits continued to quicken as he chased down his target, clocking 13:54 for the five kilometres from 30-35km, and 13:42 for the 35-40km stretch – an average pace of 2:45 per kilometre.

“This will reverberate around the world,” said former women’s marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe.

“The goalposts have literally just moved for marathon running and where you benchmark yourself as being world-class.

“It is a lesson to everybody out there. We say ‘don’t go out too fast’ – they went out smartly and paced it really well.”

Kitted out in sponsor Adidas’ latest supershoes, Sawe, who has won all four marathons he has contested, managed to take two minutes and 35 seconds off his marathon personal best.

He has sought to ensure confidence in his performances by undergoing frequent drug tests and was tested 25 times before competing in Berlin.

“I want to thank the crowds for cheering us. I think they help a lot, because if it was not for them, you don’t feel like you are so loved,” Sawe said.

“I think they help a lot because them calling makes you feel so happy and strong and pushing.

“That is why I can say what comes for me today is not for me alone but all of us in London.”

Reacting to Sawe’s record, Britain’s four-time Olympic champion Mo Farah said: “We’ve waited long enough to see a human go sub-two. That’s always been the question that we’ve asked. We’ve just witnessed something incredible.”

Assefa, the third-fastest woman in history, lined up as favourite to repeat her 2025 triumph in London after injuries forced Olympic gold medallist Sifan Hassan and world champion Peres Jepchirchir to withdraw.

The leading trio in Sunday’s race remained inseparable until the closing kilometres, as Obiri and Jepkosgei accompanied Assefa inside the Ethiopian’s record pace set in London 12 months ago.

But it was Assefa who summoned the energy to push on for victory, going nine seconds faster than her previous women-only record.

The women’s elite runners begin 30 minutes before the elite men in the London Marathon, meaning the event is classed as a women-only race.

Obiri, a six-time global medallist on the track, crossed the line 12 seconds after Assefa, closely followed by Kenya’s 2021 winner Jepkosgei.

Eilish McColgan was the first British woman across the line, placing seventh overall in 2:24:51, while Rose Harvey was ninth in 2:26:14.

Mahamed Mahamed was the best-placed home athlete in the men’s event, finishing 10th in 2:06:14 and replacing Alex Yee as the second-fastest Briton in history.

Hug produced another dominant performance to tie Weir’s record for the most victories in London Marathon history.

Hug, 40, crossed the line in 1:24:13, more than four and a half minutes clear of Chinese 23-year-old Luo Xingchuan.

Briton Weir completed the podium in 1:29:23 in his 27th consecutive appearance at the event.

Debrunner celebrated her fourth London Marathon win after outlasting McFadden, finishing just five seconds ahead of the American in clocking 1:38:29.

Briton Eden Rainbow-Cooper went into the race with podium aspirations after finishing fourth last year and regaining her Boston Marathon title on Monday, but those hopes were dashed by a pre-race puncture which caused her to start the race late.

Police say they are aware of a video circulating online that appears to show a York City player punching a fan during celebrations after the club’s dramatic 1-1 draw with Rochdale on Saturday.

York were promoted back to the Football League after a 10-year absence thanks to Josh Stones’ equaliser in the 13th minute of stoppage time.

The club’s triumph was followed by a pitch invasion, with footage appearing to show a fan putting his hands on a York player who was celebrating the moment on his knees with his head against the ground.

After an intervention by two stewards, the player stood up and broke free before appearing to punch the fan in the face.

“We are aware of a video that is circulating of a possible assault involving a player and we have linked in with both clubs and the National League,” Greater Manchester Police said in a statement.

“We will be further assessing the video and reviewing CCTV of the incident.”

The pitch invasion was the second of the match following one when Rochdale, who needed a victory to top the table and gain automatic promotion themselves, went ahead in the 96th minute.

Police said four Rochdale fans were arrested following the incidents, with one on suspicion of assault and pitch incursion, one on suspicion of a public order offence and two on suspicion of pitch incursion.

One male York City fan was arrested on suspicion of assault, with police saying he would be interviewed at a later date.

The incidents are also under investigation by the Football Association.

BBC Sport has approached York and Rochdale for comment.

York and Rochdale had amassed 212 points between them heading into the final-day showdown, with York needing to avoid defeat to secure a return to League Two.