OUT OF ACTION: Injury denies Cherono her debut in London Marathon

Kenya's Gladys Cherono celebrates on the podium after winning the women's category of the 42nd Berlin Marathon on September 27, 2015. Over 40.000 people have signed up for this year's event. AFP PHOTO

Gladys Cherono, the reigning Berlin Marathon winner, has pulled out of the elite women field at the Virgin London Marathon set for April 24.

Cherono, who was the third Kenyan to win the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships title in Copenhagen in 2014, has seen an injury rule her out of United Kingdom's flagship 42km race.

The sounds bad news for the highly talented Cherono, a glowing alumni of Singoronik High School in Kericho County, whose athletics script offers a lot of renewed hope to fresh, upcoming athletes.

Cherono, a first born in a family of two, has always longed to inspire her only sibling Wesley Kipkorir who, like her, serves at the Kenya Defence Forces at Kahawa Barracks.

"I want to motivate him well. We truly love athletics," the mother of one said in an earlier interview.

"I picked a hip injury a month ago while training in Eldoret. I felt I should take time to treat the injury and prepare although I am not sure whether I will defend my title in Berlin. I had prepared well for London and I hoped for a good race. I now wish my fellow Kenyans a good race in London," said the 32-year-old Cherono, who trains under Italian agent Gianni Demadonna.

Cherono ran the quickest marathon in the world last year when she won Berlin Marathon in 2 hours 19 minutes 25 seconds in September and was one of the favourites in London.

Cherono's absence leaves her training partner Mary Keitany, the 2014/2015 World Marathon Majors series jackpot winner, to lead the Kenyan challenge along with world half marathon record holder Florence Kiplagat, New York City Marathon champion Jemima Sumgong and former London Marathon champion Priscah Jeptoo.

Keitany, the second fastest woman of all time, is seeking a third London Marathon victory and revenge over Ethiopia's Tigist Tufa, who beat her to the title 12 months ago.

Tufa will defend her crown alongside fellow Ethiopians Aselefech Mergia, the 2010 London champion, Mare Dibaba, who won the World Championship gold medal in Beijing last summer, and former Paris Marathon champion Feyse Tadese.

The race also features a number of leading British runners who will be vying for places on the British Olympic team, although both Bristol's Jenny Spink and debutante Jess Coulson have also been forced to pull out.

Fellow Britons Ben Livesey and Matthew Hynes have withdrawn from the elite men's race, while Spaniard Jordi Madera Jimenez is out of the men's elite T53/54 wheelchair race after a training crash.