Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie has pulled out of Sunday's Tokyo Marathon after a fall in training left him nursing a knee injury.
Fall puts paid to Ethiopian's return to action on Sunday
Haile Gebrselassie has been forced to pull out of Sunday's Tokyo Marathon due to a knee injury.
The Ethiopian was set to compete for the first time since reversing his decision to retire after pulling up in the ING New York Marathon in November.
However the 37-year-old, who has set 27 world records in his stellar career, suffered a fall in training and has now been ruled out of the race.
Writing on his
Twitter account, Gebrselassie said: "I am really disappointed that I have to withdraw from Tokyo Marathon, I was feeling great in training.
"I am training in the countryside of Ethiopia and fell, that happens more often but this time with my knee on a stone. Bad, bad luck for me.
"I need time to recover and I am really sorry for my Japanese fans, but I will come back to Tokyo, unfortunately not this weekend."
Kenyan trio Felix Limo, Salim Kipsang and Paul Biwott are expected to be the main contenders for the men's race in Tokyo, as well as Gebrselassie's compatriots Yemane Tsegay and Hailu Mekonnen.
