Marathon runner Mary Keitany retired from the sport on Wednesday because of a back injury, ending a career in which she won multiple races in London and New York and set the world record for a women-only race.

The 39-year-old Kenyan said pandemic-related travel restrictions have stopped her from coming to Europe to get treatment on an injury sustained in 2019. "Every time I thought I had got over the injury and started training hard, it became a problem again,' Keitany said. "So now is the time to say goodbye ' if only as an elite runner ' to the sport I love so much."