Wanjiru withdraws from Worlds to run marathon

Kenya's Olympic marathon champion Sammy Wanjiru said yesterday he had decided to withdraw from this summer's World Athletics Championships in favour of the Berlin marathon where he plans to go for the world record.

The 2009 London marathon winner, Wanjiru was named to lead a provisional training squad of 20 athletes last month but the 22-year-old said he declined his spot because the two events in the German city were too close.

The Worlds will be held from August 15-23 with the marathon coming a month later.

"I had already set out my programme to run in the Berlin marathon on September 20 and there was no way I could reverse that decision right away," Wanjiru told AFP.

He said he will be targeting a 2:03:30 time, when he faces the current record holder Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia, who is also lined up for the event.

Wanjiru said he was still feeling the effects of the London marathon, where he set a course record of two hours, five minutes and nine seconds in April but would launch intensive preparations for the Berlin marathon in July by travelling to Japan for low altitude training.

Confirming Wanjiru's withdrawal, Athletics Kenya (AK) press officer Peter Angwenyi said the runner has been replaced in the team by four-time Boston marathon winner Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot, who was originally selected as a reserve.

Included in the team is Duncan Kibet, the world's second fastest marathon runner who clocked 2:04.27 in Rotterdam last month.