Olympic and World 1,500m champion Faith Kipyegon of Kenya withdrew from Saturday’s IAAF Diamond League meeting in London, where she was scheduled to compete in the women’s 1500m, due to an adductor injury.
Kipyegon’s management team released a statement that said racing with high intensity was too high risk at this moment in time.
Kipyegon was scheduled to be among 20 reigning world and 10 reigning Olympic individual and relay champions in action at the London Diamond League meeting.
Kipyegon had taken a 21-month maternity break in September 2017 and made her return at the Prefontaine Classic leg of the 2019 Diamond League in Stanford, California, last month.
Kipyegon won the race, her first since taking maternity break, in a time of 3:59.04 ahead of Britain’s Laura Muir.
On Friday, Kipyegon had said that she still needed a few races to know where she ranks but was happy with the progress she had made so far.
Kipyegon’s injury means another much-anticipated showdown with European champion and 2018 Diamond League winner Muir will not take place.
Kipyegon’s absence does not mean the event will not feature a quality lineup.
IAAF Continental Cup and Africa 1,500m champion Winny Chebet, whose personal best is 3:59.56, will represent Kenya while Ugandan Winnie Nanyondo, who has already improved the Ugandan 1,500m record twice this season will hope for a big win on a major stage. Shanghai Diamond League winner Rababe Arafi of Morocco and Ethiopia’s Axumawit Embaye, whose personal best times are also under four minutes, will also compete.
