Tsegaye Kebede of Ethiopia withdraws from Chicago Marathon

2012 Chicago Marathon champion Tsegaye Kebede has withdrawn from this year's race due to injury.

2012 champion Tsegaye Kebede of Ethiopia has withdrawn from this year's Chicago Marathon due to injury, according to NBC Chicago. 

“Kebede was recently injured; test results today have led him to determine it’s not in his best interest to race in Chicago,” a race official said in a statement. 

Kebede won the 2012 edition of the race with a 2:04:38 performance en route to a new course record. Kebede had previously finished second at the 2010 Chicago Marathon. 

Watch Kebede's finish from the 2012 Chicago Marathon below:

[youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_HMvbboBUI]

Most recently, Kebede ran 2:07:58 for an eighth place finish at the 2015 Tokyo Marathon in February.

With Kebede's absence, Kenya's Sammy Kitwara is among the favorites for the race with the fastest personal best in the field. As the runner-up in last year's Chicago Marathon, Kitwara completed the race in 2:04:28. 

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