For 11 seconds on a Sunday morning in April, Sabastian Sawe was the only man who had ever broken two hours in an official marathon. Then Yomif Kejelcha crossed the same finish line. It was his first marathon, he had run 1:59:41 and he had come second.
That morning in London would take some beating. Josh Kerr and four men from Botswana have a fair claim to it, though. On November 3rd World Athletics named the three finalists for its first Moment of the Year award. Fans picked the shortlist from 18 nominees. An expert panel decides the winner, with the announcement due in Monaco on November 29th.
Sabastian Sawe Breaks Two Hours in London
At halfway in the London Marathon on 26 April, Sawe’s clock read 1:00:29. Even if he ran the second half a full minute quicker than the first, he would slip under two hours by just two seconds. He ran it in 59:01.
The Kenyan reached the finish on The Mall in 1:59:30. Kejelcha followed him home and Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo took third in 2:00:28. To put that podium in perspective, Kiplimo had just beaten the world record that stood when he got out of bed that morning. There were still two men ahead of him.
Watch Sawe finish in London
Josh Kerr Calls His Shot in the Mile
Everyone in the London Stadium on 18 July knew the time Kerr was after. The Scot had said months beforehand that he wanted Hicham El Guerrouj’s 3:43.13, a mark that had stood since 1999. He had even given the attempt a name: Project 222. Two hundred and twenty two seconds is three minutes and 42 seconds.
Kerr ran 3:42.66, taking 0.47 off the Moroccan’s record. Up in the BBC commentary box was Steve Cram, who had held that same record himself. He had the rare pleasure of calling another British miler home to it.
Watch Kerr’s mile record
Botswana Save the Best for the Last Lap
The men’s 4 x 400m was the last race of the World Relays in Gaborone on 3 May. With 200 metres to run, Botswana’s Collen Kebinatshipi drew level with South Africa’s Zakithi Nene and Australia’s Aidan Murphy. They ran the bend together. All three countries still had a chance of gold as they turned for home.
Then Kebinatshipi pulled clear. Botswana won in 2:54.47, a championship record, with South Africa second in 2:55.07. Watch the home straight with the sound on. If the point of the award is to pick the moment you would most like to have been there for, Gaborone makes a fierce case.
Watch Botswana win gold in Gaborone
You can have a ticket to one finish line: The Mall for Sawe, the London Stadium for Kerr or the final bend in Gaborone. Which are you taking?
