-Ikenna Okafor
Mo Farah has been forced to withdraw from Sunday’s London marathon due to a hip injury with this latest setback raising doubts over the 39-year-old’s future in competitive racing.
The four-time Olympic gold medallist was due to run the race for the first time since 2019 after making a return to the track in a failed attempt to compete at last year’s Olympics in Tokyo.
Farah did return to form on the road by winning the “Big Half” — a London half marathon — earlier this month.
“I’ve been training really hard over the past few months and I’d got myself back into good shape and was feeling pretty optimistic about being able to put in a good performance,” said Farah in a statement.
There had been talk over his future going into Sunday’s race, but Farah says he intends to return to the London Marathon in 2023 when the event reverts to April.
‘I wish everyone taking part on Sunday a good run and I hope to be back out there with you in April 2023.’
Farah has never won the London marathon in three previous attempts, with his best finish coming in 2018 when he was third. Ethiopian reigning champion Sisay Lemma and his compatriot Kenenisa Bekele, the second-fastest marathon runner of all time, are among the favourites for the men’s race.
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