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Nairobi, March 17 (IANS)
Kenya's Geoffrey Mutai said he has recovered from an ankle injury and will be available for the London Marathon on April 26. "It was a small strain on my ankle and I did not want to risk anything. But I have gone over it and am ready for the London Marathon in April," he said on Monday, reports Xinhua.
The 33-year-old two-time New York Marathon champion skipped Tokyo Marathon last month because of the injury he picked up in training. Organisers of the London Marathon on Monday confirmed the addition of Mutai to the event together with Ethiopian Aselefech Mergia.
"Mutai and Mergia from Ethiopia are the two most prominent names in a second wave of athletes signed up for the London Marathon's 35th anniversary race on April 26," said a statement.
However, Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele, the multiple Olympic and World track champion who broke the Paris Marathon course record on his debut last April, has been forced to withdraw with a right Achilles tendon injury sustained during Dubai Marathon in January.
"Unfortunately, I have had to pull out of this year's London Marathon because of the problems I had while running in Dubai. I desperately wanted to run in London this year but the injury to my Achilles has not healed sufficiently for me to compete against such a great field," said Bekele.
Despite the Ethiopian's withdrawal, the line-up remains one of the best. Alongside Mutai the field features a clash between world record holder Dennis Kimetto and defending champion Wilson Kipsang, plus the second fastest marathoner in history Emmanuel Mutai, reigning Chicago Marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge, and last year's London Marathon runner-up Stanley Biwott.
The line-up consists the three fastest marathon runners of all time and six of the 10 quickest men in history while Mutai, who has a personal best of 2:04:15, is one of nine men to have run the gruelling 26.2 miles in under 2:05.
