Aug 27 (Reuters) - Defending champion Sabastian Sawe has withdrawn from next month's Berlin Marathon with a "heavy heart" due to injury, organisers said on Thursday.
The 31-year-old Kenyan had been expected to return to the German capital after a landmark performance at the London Marathon in April, where he became the first man to run a competitive marathon in under two hours with a time of 1:59:30.
Sawe finished the Berlin Marathon in two hours two minutes and 16 seconds in 2025, clocking the world leading time of the year despite temperatures reaching up to 25 degrees Celsius.
"It is with a heavy heart that I must inform you I am forced to withdraw from the Berlin Marathon due to an injury," he said in a statement, without specifying the nature of the injury.
"I had been looking forward to achieving something special on the streets of Berlin and crossing the finish line at the Brandenburg Gate.
"I want to thank everyone who continues to support me and I wish all the runners taking part a great race."
The women's field for the September 27 race remains strong and includes Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa, who took nine seconds off her own women’s-only world record in London.
(Reporting by Paras J. Haji in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)
