THE FAVOURITE SABASTIAN

THE FAVOURITE SABASTIAN SAWE From a no-name to a champion runner When Sabastian Sawe shows up at the start, the organisers and spectators can expect to be delighted. Time and again, the Kenyan provides spectacular results. But it was a year ago that the now 28-year-old ran in his first race in Europe. He thus took the step into international road running very late, which almost always requires the help of a manager. In the years before, Sabastian Sawe ran sporadically in national races in Kenya, but on the track and not longer than 5000 metres. Starting late in his international career, however, Sabastian Sawe immediately created a sensation. He won the Seville Half Marathon in January 2022 as a “no-name” in a world-class time of 59:02 minutes. This was a course record, a world best time for the year and one of the fastest half marathon debuts of all time—it would be hard to beat that debut. And a few weeks later, Sabastian Sawe ran exactly one minute faster: at the traditional Rome-Ostia Half Marathon, he pulverised the course record and trium- - 46 -

© imago images/Pressinphoto Sabastian Sawe set his best performance of 58:02 minutes at the Rome-Ostia Half Marathon. phed in 58:02 minutes, well over a minute ahead. This is his personal best. But because the course of the race in Italy slopes slightly, the time cannot be included in the official best lists. „This was only my second race in Europe. I am happy to have achieved such a time,“ said Sabastian Sawe, who ran two more half marathon races last year. In Valencia he finished sixth in 59:23 minutes, then he won in Manama (Bahrain) in December with another top course record of 58:58 minutes. Sabastian Sawe also caused a stir in the summer: At the track and field meet in Brussels, he won the hour race with a distance of 21.250 kilometres. While he was not able to keep up the world record