Olympic champion Sifan Hassan has withdrawn from the TCS London Marathon scheduled for April 26 after sustaining an Achilles injury during a treadmill training session. The 33-year-old, who won the London title in 2023 and is the reigning Olympic marathon gold medallist, had been among the race favourites.
Hassan reportedly picked up the problem while running on a treadmill last month. What was initially thought to be a minor issue failed to settle as she continued training, and she has elected to withdraw to avoid aggravating the injury and to protect her long-term health.
Hassan said the decision was difficult given her affection for the event — where she recorded her first marathon victory — but that she must prioritise a full recovery to return to top-level competition. She explained that as training progressed it became clear she could not prepare to the standard she expects of herself and therefore needed to step back.
A versatile runner across distances, Hassan made history by becoming the first woman to win Olympic golds in the 5,000m, 10,000m and the marathon. At the 2024 Paris Olympics she earned bronze in both the 5,000m and 10,000m and claimed the marathon title in an Olympic record time of 2:22:55. She has also competed across the Abbott World Marathon Majors, including appearances in Sydney and New York, and finished third in an earlier London outing.
With Hassan out, Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa remains the headline name in the elite women’s field as of March 23. Kenyan stars Joyciline Jepkosgei and Peres Jepchirchir are also among the expected entrants. The British contingent includes Charlotte Purdue, Rose Harvey and Abbie Donnelly, and Eilish McColgan is due to return after making her marathon debut last year.
The race will go ahead without Hassan, and organisers and fans will watch to see how the depleted field lines up. In the 2025 edition, Sabastian Sawe won the men’s race in 2:02:27, while Tigst Assefa took the women’s title in 2:15:50.