Overview
- Sawe issued a statement through race organizers saying an injury forces him to pull out of the BMW Berlin Marathon and the organizers confirmed he will not race.
- The 31-year-old Kenyan ran an official sub-two-hour marathon in London in April with a time of 1:59:30 and had been scheduled to defend his Berlin title.
- Sawe did not disclose the nature of the injury or give a recovery timetable, leaving the timing of any return unclear.
- Organizers say the Berlin race will go ahead without him and the event still features a strong women's field led by Tigst Assefa while Ruth Chepng'etich remains under a doping ban.
- Sawe had highlighted undergoing rigorous drug testing after recent doping cases involving Kenyan runners, and his absence removes the next immediate high-profile sub-two attempt from the fall racing calendar.