BERLIN -- Marathon world record holder Sabastian Sawe says he is injured and will miss the Berlin Marathon, which was set to mark his return to competition after smashing the two-hour barrier.
Sawe said he had been targeting "something special" next month in Berlin. He won the event last year, and it is one of the fastest marathon courses in the world, the site of numerous records.
"It is with a heavy heart that I must inform you I am forced to withdraw from the BMW Berlin Marathon due to an injury," Sawe said in a statement issued by organizers that did not specify what sort of injury he had. "I had been looking forward to achieving something special on the streets of Berlin and crossing the finish line at the Brandenburg Gate."
He added: "I want to thank everyone who continues to support me and I wish all the runners taking part a great race."
The 31-year-old Kenyan won the London Marathon in 1 hour, 59 minutes, 30 seconds in April, becoming the first runner to achieve a feat long considered unattainable.
He said at the time that he underwent a rigorous drug-testing regime to "show the world that we can run clean and also run fast" after a spate of recent doping cases among top Kenyan runners.
The women's field for the Berlin Marathon on Sept. 27 includes Tigst Assefa, the Ethiopian runner who broke the world record there in 2023. The current record (2:09:56) is held by Kenyan Ruth Chepng'etich, who is serving a doping ban.