World champion Peres Jepchirchir has withdrawn from this month's London Marathon, dealing another significant blow to the prestigious event's elite field.
The Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medalist was diagnosed with a stress fracture following her second-place finish at the Valencia marathon in December. This injury delayed the start of her training for London, and the 32-year-old Kenyan athlete has now officially informed race organizers that she will not be able to compete.
Jepchirchir, who set a women's-only world record of 2:16:16 when she won the 2024 London Marathon, expressed her disappointment in a statement:
"I was only able to resume training in late January. I know that to be competitive at the London Marathon you have to be at your top level and despite my best efforts, I'm just short of that due to my lack of training."
This marks the second consecutive year Jepchirchir will miss the London event, having also withdrawn last year due to an ankle injury.
The women's elite field has now lost two major contenders, following the earlier withdrawal of 2024 Olympic champion Sifan Hassan, who pulled out after suffering an Achilles injury. The London Marathon is scheduled for April 26th.