President William Ruto has rewarded Kenyan marathoner Sabastian Sawe with Ksh8 million after he shattered the world record at the London Marathon, becoming the first man to complete the distance in under two hours.

Sawe, who entered the race as a strong favorite, crossed the finish line on Sunday in 1 hour, 59 minutes, and 30 seconds—officially breaking the previous marathon world record of 2:00:35, which had been set by the late Kelvin Kiptum at the 2023 Chicago Marathon.

At a ceremony held at State House, Nairobi, after hosting Sawe following his return from London—where he landed at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport aboard the national carrier—President Ruto, on behalf of the government, presented the athlete with two cheques totaling Ksh8 million: one for Ksh5 million and another for Ksh3 million.

The President also gave Sawe a personalized Kenyan license plate inscribed with the numbers 1:59:30 to commemorate his historic marathon achievement.

Additionally, President Ruto announced that the record-breaker would be allowed to select a car of his choice, onto which the custom plates would be fitted.

The Ksh5 million reward was for breaking a world record, consistent with the government’s earlier directive on athlete compensation. The Ksh3 million was awarded under the same policy, which grants such amounts to any athlete who wins a gold medal in a major competition.