Ouch! Wheelchair racer fells star runner: Olympic champion clashes with Canadian competitor at drinks station Women's favourite Tiki Gelana hit by wheelchair racer Josh Cassidy Gelana, 25, from Ethiopia, ran into path of Cassidy as he tried to overtake She carried on running but was unable to make up ground, finishing 16th By Ben Spencer A collision between a wheelchair racer and a star woman runner marred the London Marathon's elite competitions. Women's pre-race favourite Tiki Gelana, the Olympic champion, was hit by Canadian wheelchair racer Josh Cassidy at a drinks station about a third of the way into the race. Gelana, 25, from Ethiopia, ran into the path of Cassidy as the leading wheelchair racers tried to overtake the women's pack. Women¿s pre-race favourite Tiki Gelana, the Olympic champion, was hit by Canadian wheelchair racer Josh Cassidy at a drinks station about a third of the way into the race Gelana, 25, from Ethiopia, ran into the path of Cassidy as the leading wheelchair racers tried to overtake the women's pacK She stepped across to get a drink after nine miles (15km) and was knocked to the ground, Cassidy's wheels appearing to go over her leg. She carried on running but was unable to make up the ground, finishing 16th. After the race Cassidy, who won in London in 2010, blamed the collision on the event organisers" insistence of the men, women and wheelchair racers finishing in close succession. The scheduling means the women set off before the quicker wheelchairs, forcing the wheelchair racers to overtake during the race. Gelana carried on running but was unable to make up the ground, finishing 16th Cassidy, who finished 20th, almost 11 minutes behind winner Kurt Fearnley, said the same problems happened year after year Cassidy, who finished 20th, almost 11 minutes behind winner Kurt Fearnley, said: "Every single year we come to overtake the women, they want to have a staggered start for television so they have the winners one after the other, there's ten chairs going at over 20 mph and the poor women are scrambling to find their feet, and sure enough one of them knocked into me. Cassidy, 28, added: "I have a brand new $2,000 pair of wheels that are damaged, who's going to pay for them? It's really frustrating and it has got to change. One of these year one of those women are going to be knocked our unconscious or have their leg broken and their career ruined. It's just not worth it having this programme set for the finish like this if it's going to cause injury or harm.