Revealed: Nature of Sabastian Sawe’s Injury That Knocked Him Out of Berlin Marathon

Marathon world record holder Sabastian Sawe has withdrawn from the 2026 Berlin Marathon due to a slight stress fracture in his right tibia, his agent has confirmed.

The Kenyan superstar, who sensationally ran a first-ever sub-two-hour marathon in an official race, clocking 1:59:20 in London in April this year, was announced to have pulled out of the September 27 race on Thursday, though the specific reason for his withdrawal was not initially disclosed.

In a statement to LetsRun.com, Sawe's agent, Eric Lilot, revealed the nature of the injury. He explained that the 31-year-old's preparations for Berlin had been progressing "really well" until he experienced discomfort during a physiotherapy session last week. A subsequent MRI scan confirmed the presence of a stress fracture.

This injury means Sawe, who has an undefeated record in his four career marathons, will be unable to defend his title in the German capital.

Lilot was cautious about setting a firm timeline for Sawe's return to competition, but he did rule out any possibility of the athlete competing in a different marathon later this fall. The current focus is on a full recovery, with the hope that Sawe will be fit to race in the spring of 2027.

"We’ve already gone ahead and sent this information to some experts in Italy, one being one of the top orthopedic surgeons and doctors in the Brescia area," Lilot stated. "We’re working out now a protocol as to what is the best way to move ahead in terms of treatment and all that."

He added, "Of course, the most important thing is to get him healthy and back as soon as possible. But at the same time, we’re working to understand how we can prevent this in the future."

For now, Sawe will take a complete break from running. He is set to temporarily leave the 2 Running Club's training camp in Kapsabet to spend time with his family while he begins his recovery.