Kenya’s women’s marathon world record holder Brigid Kosgei has withdrawn from Sunday’s London Marathon due to injury.
Kosgei, 28, says an injury in her right hamstring has affected her ability to train over the past month.
The two-time winner in London was fourth in last year’s race after taking silver at the Tokyo Olympics.
“I would like to prepare to be in top condition,” she said. “We’ve decided it’s best I withdraw and get further treatment on my injuries.”
Kosgei, who won the London Marathon in 2019 and 2020, set the women’s world record of two hours 14 minutes four seconds at the 2019 Chicago Marathon. She won this year’s Tokyo Marathon in 2:16:02 – the fourth-fastest time in history.
The women’s field in Sunday’s London Marathon still features several world-class athletes, including Kosgei’s compatriot and last year’s winner Joyciline Jepkosgei, 29, and Ethiopia’s Yalemzerf Yehualaw, 23, who set the fastest debut time for a marathon and holds the world record in the 10km road race.
The field in the men’s elite race is headed by Ethiopia’s Sisay Lemma, who won last year, and Britain’s Mo Farah.
Sunday’s elite races and the mass participation event will be covered live on the BBC from 08:30 BST – across BBC One and BBC Two, as well as the Red Button and iPlayer. There will also be full coverage and text updates on the BBC Sport website and app.
