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The Kenyan ran the quickest marathon in the world last year when she won September’s Berlin Marathon in 2 hours 19 minutes 25 seconds and was one of the favourites for this year’s race on Sunday 24 April.
Cherono’s absence leaves her training partner Mary Keitany to lead the Kenyan challenge along with world half marathon record holder Florence Kiplagat, New York City Marathon champion Jemima Sumgong and former London Marathon champion Priscah Jeptoo.
Keitany, the second fastest woman of all time, is seeking a third London Marathon victory and revenge over Ethiopia’s Tigist Tufa, who beat her to the title 12 months ago.
Tufa will defend her crown alongside fellow Ethiopians Aselefech Mergia, the 2010 London champion, Mare Dibaba, who won the World Championship gold medal in Beijing last summer, and former Paris Marathon champion Feyse Tadese.
The race also features a number of leading British runners who will be vying for places on the British Olympic team, although both Bristol’s Jenny Spink and debutante Jess Coulson have also been forced to pull out.
Fellow Britons Ben Livesey and Matthew Hynes have withdrawn from the elite men’s race, while Spaniard Jordi Madera Jimenez is out of the men’s elite T53/54 wheelchair race after a training crash.
Full up-to-date entry lists for all the elite races at this year’s Virgin Money London Marathon, including entrants for this year’s IPC Athletics Marathon World Cup, are available in the Media Resources section of the site.
These will be updated continually in the run-up to Race Day on 24 April.
Source: Virgin Money London Marathon
