Hassan withdraws from London
Olympic champion Sifan Hassan has pulled out of the 2026 London Marathon — she cited an Achilles injury from training and said she isn’t able to prepare at the intensity required for April 26. (bbc.com) (olympics.com) (runningmagazine.ca)
London Marathon organisers published a press release on 23 March 2026 saying Hassan picked up the Achilles problem during “an unfortunate incident” while training on a treadmill six weeks earlier. (run247.com) The release added that the issue was initially thought to be minor and that Hassan continued training before concluding she could not prepare at the required intensity for the race. (marathonhandbook.com) Hassan’s own statement said she must “listen to my body and focus on recovering properly” and that she “looks forward to returning to race in London again on plenty more occasions in the future.” (runningmagazine.ca) Her recent marathon form includes a victory at the TCS Sydney Marathon on 31 August 2025 in 2:18:22 (a course record), and she holds a career best of 2:13:44 from her win in Chicago in October 2023. (worldathletics.org) Hassan had been named among a stacked 2026 elite women’s field alongside defending champion Tigst Assefa, Peres Jepchirchir and Hellen Obiri when organisers published the entry list earlier this year. (marathonjournal.com) Race organisers and outlets say her withdrawal arrives less than five weeks before the event and will alter pacing and tactical calculations for the remaining entrants on the start line. (run247.com)
