Reviewed by Richard KimaroTanzania sports betting writer
Published 10 September 2026
Gabriel Geay is the fastest man left in the BMW Berlin Marathon field for 27 September, after the world record holder Sabastian Sawe pulled out of the race with an injury.
Geay was named in the elite men’s field in August, in an entry the organisers built around Sawe. His personal best of 2:03:00, set in Valencia in 2022, is now the quickest time in the men’s entry list.
Sawe announced his withdrawal in late August, saying only that an injury forced it. He holds the world record at 1:59:30 and is the first man to have gone under two hours in a record eligible marathon.
What Geay brings to Berlin
Geay holds the Tanzanian marathon record and has finished second at both Valencia and the Boston Marathon, in 2022 and 2023. He is a flat course runner in a flat course race, which is the whole reason Berlin keeps producing records, and he arrives as the entrant with the best time rather than as the favourite anybody named in August.
The rest of the field is deep enough that the race does not turn on him. Guye Adola, who won Berlin in 2021, is entered, and Tigst Assefa heads the women’s field. Tanzania has one runner in the elite entry and no other athlete in the championship races that weekend.
Why this matters for Tanzanian athletics
Tanzania builds its athletics year around the marathon rather than the track, and a Berlin start line in September is the last significant test before the qualification window for the 2027 World Championships in Beijing dominates the calendar. Geay running well in Berlin changes what Tanzania can plan for. AXN Sports will carry the result.
Where to bet: marathon majors are the one part of Tanzanian athletics the books price properly. Betway and SportPesa, both licensed by the Gaming Board of Tanzania, offer outright winner and head to head markets in Tanzanian shillings with mobile money deposits. A withdrawal of this size moves every price in the market, and the two books rarely reprice at the same moment, so the gap between them is at its widest in the days after an announcement. Compare them rather than carrying a number from last week. Our guide to the best betting sites in Tanzania covers licensing and withdrawal times, and there is more in Tanzania athletics news from AXN Sports. 18+. Gamble responsibly.
