After making history in the 10,000m by becoming the first German athlete to break the 27-minute barrier with a gold-winning 26:56.58 at The TEN in San Juan Capistrano, Mohamed Abdilaahi was seen as a strong gold medal contender for the 2026 European Athletics Championships. Even before the championships, the German distance star made his ambitions clear, saying, “I want to compete for the win and for medals.” However, just five days before the event, Abdilaahi was forced to withdraw from the championships due to an injury.

On August 5, Abdilaahi shared the news on Instagram, revealing that a minor foot issue had forced him to withdraw from the 5,000m and 10,000m races. “Unfortunately, I have been forced to withdraw from the European Championships due to a minor foot issue. The focus is now on a full recovery and getting back into a training routine, with the goal of returning in the late track season. Thank you for all the support – I’ll be back,” Abdilaahi wrote.

The injury had already affected his build-up to the championships. The Cologne Athletics runner was forced to miss the German Championships, and the same foot problems later caused him to stop during the mile race at London’s Olympic Stadium on July 18. Abdilaahi later explained that the issue had limited his training for several weeks and left him with no choice but to withdraw.

“Foot problems have slowed me down for the last three weeks. I couldn’t get them under control in time, so proper preparation simply wasn’t possible, and I had to make this difficult decision,” the 27-year-old said on the German Athletics Federation’s website. The German distance star will now focus on recovery and returning to training, with the hope of competing again later in the season.

His withdrawal came as a huge disappointment for Germany’s European Championships team. The 27-year-old has won gold several times in the 5000m in the German national championships and in the European U23 championships.

German Athletics Federation sports director Jörg Bügner admitted, “This is very bitter for Mo and the entire team. He more than deserved to participate in the European Championships with his outstanding performances this season,” Bügner said.

Following Olympians Abdilaahi’s withdrawal, Germany’s European Championships team will continue in Birmingham with 115 athletes, including 59 women and 56 men. However, he was not the only German athlete forced to miss the championships.

More bad news for Germany as two distance stars miss Birmingham Championships

Hendrik Pfeiffer was also ruled out of the 2026 European Athletics Championships after suffering a foot stress fracture. The German Athletics Federation confirmed that the marathon runner would not be able to compete in Birmingham.

“We are sorry that Hendrik Pfeiffer cannot start in Birmingham due to injury. However, we still have a strong team at the European Championships and are strengthening it with the addition of Erik Hille. Erik is considered a mountain specialist and is therefore ideally suited for the challenging course in Birmingham,” German national marathon coach Alexander Fromm said.

Also, another distance star, Konstanze Klosterhalfen, will be absent from the German team. The former European 5,000m champion withdrew after dealing with health problems and physical overload issues for several months. Rather than rushing back for the championships, Klosterhalfen decided to focus on her recovery and avoid taking unnecessary risks.

With Abdilaahi, Pfeiffer, and Klosterhalfen all missing from the European Championships, Germany has lost several experienced distance runners ahead of the competition.