Catherina McKiernan of Ireland en route to winning the 1998 London Marathon (© Getty Images)
Former winner Catherina McKiernan of Ireland withdrew from this year's London Marathon on Wednesday because of an ankle injury.
McKiernan, who won her first three marathons including the 1998 London event, suffered a fracture during training last week and will not be able to train for four to six weeks.
"It would not be possible for me to miss this many days of training and still be at my best for London," said McKiernan. "I am now more determined than ever to be at my very best for Sydney."
The women's field for the London Marathon on April 16 includes Kenyans Tegla Loroupe and Joyce Chepchumba, Briton Liz McColgan and Portugal's European champion Manuela Machada.
