The reigning Olympic marathon champion pulls out of this year's edition due to an Achilles injury.

Sifan Hassan has withdrawn from next month's London Marathon (April 26) after being hampered by an Achilles injury sustained on a treadmill.

The current Olympic marathon champion picked up the injury following an "unfortunate incident" on the treadmill six weeks ago. Initially the injury was believed to be minor, and she continued to train but, as her preparations for the London Marathon intensified, the Dutch athlete was unable to progress as planned.

After careful assessment, Hassan has now withdrawn from the event to avoid aggravating the injury. The 33-year-old won the 2023 edition in London and finished third last year. She has a best of 2:13:44 and is fourth on the marathon all-time list.

Last year Hassan also won the Sydney Marathon and placed sixth in New York City. She has opted to pull out of London to "prioritise her recovery and long-term health".

Hassan said: "This has been a very tough decision to make. I love racing the London Marathon; it is where I won my first-ever marathon, and I have so many special memories there. But it is also the highest-quality marathon on the planet, and to compete at that level, you need to be in perfect condition.

"After the incident, I hoped the injury would settle, but as training progressed it became clear that I wasn’t able to prepare at the level I expect from myself. I have to listen to my body and focus on recovering properly. I look forward to returning to race in London again on plenty more occasions in the future."

There have also been notable withdrawals in the London Marathon wheelchair fields. Susannah Scaroni, who won five of the Abbott World Marathon Major races last year and was second in London, will not compete in this year’s event.

Neither will her USA teammate Daniel Romanchuk, the 2019 London Marathon champion, while Britain's Nathan Maguire has also been forced to withdraw due to injury.