Blow to British hopes as injury forces Emile Cairess out of London Marathon

Emile Cairess finished third in the London Marathon last year before impressing at the Olympics in Paris. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

Emile Cairess’s hopes of becoming the fastest British runner over 26.2 miles have been put on hold after he was forced to pull out of the London Marathon with an ankle injury.

Cairess, who finished third in the race last year before coming fourth in the Paris Olympics, had been targeting Mo Farah’s national record of 2hr 5min 11sec. However, he will now miss April’s race due to an ongoing ankle tendon issue.