A Stress Fracture Sidelines Kenenisa Bekele Ahead of Tokyo Marathon

By Adam Kopet

Kenenisa Bekele has withdrawn from the Tokyo Marathon with a stress fracture.

Kenenisa Bekele: I am sad to announce I cannot run in Tokyo this year due to a stress fracture that didn't heal in time.

I am working hard to get healthy and back to 100%.

For my full update please visit https://t.co/w6y29vw7Np pic.twitter.com/HdC2ztc8gI

— Global Sports Comm (@GlobalSportsCom) February 20, 2019

The 36-year-old Ethiopian holds the 5,000- and 10,000-meter world records and owns the third-fastest marathon ever at 2:03:03. He has won three Olympic gold medals, five IAAF World Championships gold medals and 11 IAAF World Cross Country Championships.

Bekele has struggled to find the form that carried him to his 2:03:03 win at the 2016 Berlin Marathon. Last year he finished sixth at the London Marathon, running 2:08:53. In 2017, Bekele failed to finish two of his three marathons. He finished runner-up at the 2017 London Marathon in 2:05:57.

Brett Larner of Japan Running News reports the Tokyo Marathon will also be without Kenya's Marius Kipserem due to injury. He won December's Abu Dhabi Marathon, which seems to have not followed the prescribed course and was likely short. Before that, Kipserem won the 2016 Rotterdam Marathon in a personal best 2:06:11.