LONDON (Reuters) – Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele, the second-fastest marathoner in history, withdrew from Sunday’s London race with a calf injury that ended her showdown with Kenyan world record holder Eliud Kipchoge
Bekele said he got injured after ‘two fast training sessions too close together’, leaving Kipchoge as an even hotter favorite to win his fifth London Marathon title, with the race taking place on a new course of several laps at Parc St James
« I was in good shape but had a little problem in my left calf during the last few weeks of preparation, » Bekele said in a statement on Friday.
« Since then, I have been getting treatment every day and really thought I would be ready, but today it’s worse and now I know I can’t run on it
“This race was so important to me My time in Berlin last year gave me a lot of confidence and motivation and I couldn’t wait to show it again »
Bekele’s time of two hours a minute and 41 seconds in Berlin was two seconds less than Kipchoge’s world record set at the same course a year earlier
“I know that many people around the world were looking forward to this race and I am sorry to disappoint my fans, organizers and fellow competitors”Bekele added
« I will take the time to recover and get back in shape and I hope to be back in London next year »
Kipchoge ran 1: 5940 in an unofficial race in Vienna last October but, as COVID 19 wiped out much of the year’s track and field schedule, Sunday would have been the two men’s first race in a year
Bekele’s withdrawal is a blow to the organizers and the BBC, which are broadcasting the men’s, women’s and wheelchair races live
Clerk of the Course, Hugh Brasher, managed to organize an elite-only event on a fenced course, with the finish line on The Mall, identical to the normal course
The wet and windy weather also means that a world record attempt is unlikely, taking the lead in what will be the only major marathon to have taken place since March
« The world has been waiting to see this face to face, but it won’t happen again this Sunday. We know how disappointed he (Bekele) is and we wish him a speedy recovery, » Brasher said
« It was probably never a two-man race, as we had four of the 10 fastest marathon runners of all time and six men on the field who broke 2:05, including (the Ethiopians) Mosinet Geremew and Mule Wasihun, second and third last year, and 2018 runner-up Shura Kitata «
All quotes have been delayed by at least 15 minutes See here for a full list of exchanges and delays
Marathon, London Marathon, Kenenisa Bekele, Eliud Kipchoge, Brigid Kosgei
News from around the world – GB – Bekele excluded from London Marathon due to calf injury
SOURCE: https://www.w24news.com
