体坛英语新闻：Kenya's Kirui rues missing London marathon chance

NAIROBI, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's marathon star Abel Kirui is disheartened on missing out what would have been his fourth shot at the London marathon on April 21.

Speaking on arrival in Nairobi from Amsterdam on Sunday, Kirui who settled for fifth spot in last year's race, said he was all prepared to bid for his first title on the London street, but a muscle strain while in training last week forced him to travel to Amsterdam to seek special medical advice.

Doctors advised him to stay away after he was diagnosed with stress fractures.

"Kirui, who won the Olympic silver medal in London last August, has a grade two stress fracture in his right shin. After showing painful bruising around his right leg, Kirui was investigated by the Department of Elite Sports Medicine in the Dutch town of Ede and found to have a grade two stress reaction with edema in the right distal fibula bone with reactive edema in the surrounding soft tissue" a statement from his management said on Sunday.

But on return to Nairobi, Kirui said he will not relent on his bid to win London marathon. However, he said that he could have run, but want to prolong his career.

"What was the use of me hurting my body, putting everything on the line for one race and then be ruled out for two years. The doctors have advised me to stay away from training or competition for three weeks.

"I will then start light training and in two months time, I will be ready for the competitive races again. I have relayed the same message to Athletics Kenya and they have expressed their frustration too. But I expect to be named in the team to the World Championships in Moscow, where I want to defend my title.

"This is why I will listen to the doctor's advice. It will be history for me to win the marathon gold on three consecutive attempts. That is what I want and I will be in Moscow in August with only one aim, to win the gold," said Kirui.

The London Olympic silver medallist said X-ray scans showed that he did not incur a fracture and was relieved that soon he will be back on the track.

Kirui will be the second Kenyan to withdraw from London marathon after fifth finisher Lucy Kabuu also dropped out last week.

Organisers also announced that Portuguese runner and former 1,500m Olympic medalist and multiple European indoor champion Rui Silva, who had planned his debut at the distance, was forced to withdraw after he sustained symptoms of the same injury like Kirui.