World 800m champion Lilian Odira has withdrawn from the Zurich Diamond League scheduled for Thursday, 27 August, due to illness.Download our MozzartSport App For More NewsOdira, 27, announced earlier this week that she would not be taking part in the penultimate leg of the premier one-day athletics event, as she seeks to recover from body weakness accrued from her busy schedule.##NAJAVA_MECA_9915515##“Update from me is I am really sorry that I will not be able to compete at Zurich Diamond League,” the African Championships silver medalist wrote. “I so much wish that it was otherwise, but I must listen to my body.”Detailing her condition, she added: “After Glasgow Commonwealths we had been on the sick bed for [a] couple of days. I didn’t have those important sessions towards Lausanne, but I felt okay. I came out brave to secure some points to get us to the Diamond League final. Since Lausanne I have felt weaker and after taking medical advice we decided it’s not wise to race on Thursday.”Wanyonyi, Cherotich and Koech lead Kenyan charge at Zurich Diamond LeagueIn the aforementioned 800m race in Lausanne on Friday, 21 August, Odira, who won silver at the Commonwealth Games, was visibly unlike herself, lacking her decisive final kick, to finish a disappointing seventh in 1:59.25.In Zurich, the one-time Diamond League winner was expected to set up a sequel of her against the distance’s heavyweights, including: Swiss star Audrey Werro, Dutch phenom Femke Broders-Bol, Commonwealth Games champion Georgia Hunter Bell, and Olympic Games champion Keely Hodgkinson.Odira set for yet another heavyweight showdown at Zurich Diamond LeagueInstead, Thursday’s highlight event will miss both Odira and Hodgkinson, with the latter also pulling out due to her body not being “quite ready.”With the Zurich leg left to go, Odira, however, looks prime to qualify for the season-finale in Brussels early next month.Lilian Odira urges shift in coaching mindset after success under female coachThe Kenyan is currently eighth (the last qualifying spot), with a total of 16 points.Referring to her return, Odira noted: “Disappointed, yes. Down, but not out, with a strong belief you will see me again on the track in September.”##NAJAVA_MECA_9915740##The season-ending event in Brussels is scheduled for Friday, 4 and Saturday, 5 September.
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