Yomif Kejelcha has pulled out of the Valencia Marathon weeks before the event after sustaining an injury in his build-up ahead of the race.
In a post on social media on Friday, Kejelcha said that the unspecified ailment occurred just as he was set to run in just his second marathon on December 6.
“This is a post I really didn’t want to make. I won’t run the Valencia Marathon this year because of an injury in my preparation,” Kejelcha said. “Sometimes sport is like this. I need to stop now, recover well, and work hard to be back on the start line soon. Now I only have words of thanks for the Valencia organization, the team around me, my sponsors, and all the running fans who support me every day.”
Organizers of the race also confirmed that Kejelcha had pulled out of the event, which features a loaded men’s field that includes defending champion John Korir, Alexander Mutiso, Dawit Wolde and Nibret Melak.
“Unfortunately, we must announce that Yomif Kejelcha, the current half marathon world record holder and second-fastest man in history over the marathon distance, will not be on the starting line of the Valencia Marathon on December 6 due to an injury,” a statement from Valencia Ciudad del Running said. “From the Valencia Marathon Trinidad Alfonso Zurich Organization, we wish Yomif a speedy recovery and hope to welcome him back in a future edition.”
Kejelcha has seen recent success in the city, winning the Valencia Half last year in 58:02 after shattering the world record on the same course in 2024 in 57:30. He currently holds the new record of 56:51 which was set in August in Buenos Aires, reclaiming the mark from Jacob Kiplimo, who clocked a 57:20 in Lisbon in March.
In April at the London Marathon, Kejelcha stunned in his debut, finishing second in 1:59:41 behind Sabastian Sawe’s 1:59:30 world record, making both athletes the first to officially run under the two-hour barrier in the distance.
Meanwhile, on Monday, World Athletics officially ratified Kejelcha’s time from Buenos Aires, along with three other world records from Masai Russell, Alison dos Santos and Josh Kerr.
