One of the favourites to compete for the win at the 2026 Chicago Marathon, Bashir Abdi of Belgium, has pulled out of the event with a calf tear.
During one of his final training runs, he sustained the injury in Flagstaff, AZ. While the injury is enough to keep him out of Chicago, he feels that it is small enough to recover soon.
Abdi earned a silver and bronze medal during the Paris and Tokyo Olympic Marathons.
Abdi owns a personal best of 2:03:36 from the 2021 Rotterdam Marathon. The 37-year-old nearly ran as fast two years later, again in Rotterdam, going 2:03:47. He has run sub-2:10 at least eight times. Always a contender, Bashi finished on the podium in Chicago, New York, and London as well as the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
Bashi’s personal best is a European and Belgian record. His 20,000m run of 56:20.02 is a WBP World Best Performance, but not kept as a “record.” His 59:51 Gent, Belgium half marathon PB is a national record.
