London Marathon Boost for Kenyan Trio as Big Threat Pulls Out After Massive Setback

Kenyan runners could be among the beneficiaries at the 2026 London Marathon after Olympics champion Sifan Hassan pulled out of next month’s race due to an injury.

Hassan, who was looking to reclaim the title she won in 2023, will not be in London on April 26 when the strong elite field lines up, due to an Achilles problem.

“No @LondonMarathon for me… 💔,” Hassan posted on X. “I am disappointed because this race means so much to me but right now my Achilles is holding me back and I’m not ready to be at my best. I wish everyone racing an amazing day out there!”

PAY ATTENTION: Follow us on Google News, Stay informed with Latest Sport News

That takes one of the biggest threats away, opening the door for the rest who include defending champion and women-only world record holder Tigist Assefa, 2024 champion Peres Jepchirchir, double New York and Boston Marathon winner Hellen Obiri, who will be making her London debut, as well as Joyciline Jepkosgei, who won the title in 2021.

Assefa has been a dominant force since her major marathon debut in 2022. In a remarkable run of form, she has secured two victories in Berlin, where she set a then-world record of 2:11:53 in 2023, and a London title, where she established the current women-only world record of 2:15:50. Across six major marathons, she has never finished lower than second place.

However, her few defeats have been delivered by the very athletes she will face again in London. Jepchirchir narrowly out-sprinted Assefa at the 2024 London Marathon and repeated the feat in an even tighter finish at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo.

The field's depth is further enhanced by two in-form Kenyans: Jepkosgei and Obiri. Jepkosgei, who is also the New York Marathon champion, recently ran the fourth-fastest time in history to win the 2025 Valencia Marathon. Obiri, making her London debut, is a two-time winner of both the Boston and New York City Marathons and claimed bronze at the Paris Olympics behind Hassan and Assefa.

Hassan’s withdrawal therefore thins the competition somewhat and the Kenyan trio will be looking to outdo Assefa as she is now seemingly the biggest threat remaining.