For Kenenisa Bekele, the road back to Berlin suddenly became a roadblock. Just one week after his surprise addition to the marathon field, the 44-year-old legend has been forced to withdraw from the event.
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The Ethiopian distance legend had been handed a surprise opportunity to return to the BMW Berlin Marathon on September 27. The late addition came only a week ago, rekindling memories of the course where he twice produced some of the finest marathon performances of his career. But that comeback has now disappeared before it could even begin.
Bekele has withdrawn after suffering an injury to his left Achilles tendon during one of his final training sessions before traveling to Berlin. Renowned athletics journalist Jonathan Gault highlighted the news, with race organizers confirming the withdrawal just seven days after announcing Bekele as a late addition to the elite field.
The timing makes the setback sting even more. Bekele has not completed a marathon since the 2024 Paris Olympics, where He finished 39th with a time of 2:12:24. Since then, the Ethiopian has started the 2024 Valencia Marathon and the 2025 New York City Marathon without reaching the finish line. He also withdrew from the 2025 London Marathon before the race.
Berlin, therefore, represented more than another start line. It offered Bekele a chance to reconnect with a course that has repeatedly brought out his best.
In 2016, he won the Berlin Marathon in 2:03:03. Three years later, he returned and produced an even more astonishing run. His 2:01:41 finished just two seconds behind Eliud Kipchoge’s then-world record of 2:01:39, leaving the marathon world stunned by what the Ethiopian could still produce.
There was another reason to watch him this time. Bekele set the world masters record for athletes over 40 with his 2:04:15 at the 2024 London Marathon. Fans hoping to see the veteran threaten his own mark will now have to wait.
The injury also adds another name to an increasingly depleted Berlin field.
Defending champion Sabastian Sawe withdrew in August with a stress fracture in his shin, removing another major attraction from Sunday’s race.
Yet Bekele’s story stretches far beyond his recent marathon struggles. Long before he became a veteran chasing one more great road race, he had already built one of the most remarkable distance-running careers in history.
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Bekele’s Olympic résumé alone explains why every potential comeback still attracts attention.
The Ethiopian owns three Olympic gold medals. At the Athens Olympics in 2004, he won the 10,000 m in 27:05.10 and added silver in the 5,000 m behind Hicham El Guerrouj. Four years later in Beijing, Bekele completed the double, defending his 10,000m title in 27:01.17 before taking 5,000m gold in 12:57.82.
His dominance extended to the World Championships, where he collected five individual titles, including the 5,000m and 10,000m double in 2009. Across cross-country, he became even more dominant, collecting 11 individual world titles.
And then came the marathon.
His 2:01:41 in Berlin remains a reminder that age has never completely erased his ability to produce extraordinary performances. But the Achilles injury has arrived at another difficult point in his career, leaving his next competitive appearance uncertain.
There is also the question of another Olympic Games. Bekele spoke about that possibility in an April 2024 interview with Olympics.com, while acknowledging how injuries had repeatedly disrupted his marathon preparation.
“I never achieved my maximum effort in the marathon. I’ve been struggling for a long time with injury,” he said.
He added that he had never managed to complete all his training properly because of those setbacks. Still, his ambitions had not disappeared.
“My mind tells me that I can still do better in the marathon… I have so many goals. The Olympics is in front of us…maybe [Paris] will be my last Olympics.”
Paris ultimately became his most recent completed Olympic marathon. With LA28 now approaching, Bekele would be 46 by the time the Games arrive.
For now, though, the Ethiopian legend has another injury to overcome before anyone can seriously discuss another Olympic chapter. Berlin was supposed to be the next step. Instead, the Achilles has forced him back to the sidelines once again.