Sarah Chepchirchir raises to 80 the number of Kenyan Athletes suspended for doping

2017 Tokyo Marathon winner Sarah Chepchirchir is among those suspended

Sarah Chepchirchir raises to 80 the number of Kenyan Athletes suspended for doping

Mark Kinyanjui 09:00 - 03.04.2024

There are up to 80 Kenyan atheles suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit, a shocking revelation for the country's reputation in the sport.

The Athletics Integrity Unit has released its global list of athletes who are banned from taking part in global athletics competitions until they finish serving their respective bans for using prohibited enhancing substances.

The list has revealed that there are upto 80 Kenyans that cannot take part in races, with the country increasingly lying close to the red-zone of being banned.

Kenya is third after both Russia and India, which have the biggest culprits, with 86 athletes suspended per country, while other athletic powerhouses like USA only have 10 in the list.

Of the 80 people banned, upto six are serving eight-year bans, including 2017 Tokyo marathon winner, Sarah Chepchirchir who was hit with an eight-year ban after the former Tokyo Marathon winner was found to have violated anti-doping regulations for a second time in February.

Chepchirchir had returned an adverse analytical finding for testosterone, the AIU said. The sample was collected at the Bangsaen42 Chonburi Marathon in Thailand in November.

The 39-year-old was previously banned for four years in 2019, backdated to April 11, 2018, because of abnormalities in her athlete blood passport.

The latest ban will be backdated to Dec. 22, 2023 and Chepchirchir's competition results from Nov. 5 onwards will be disqualified.

Other athletes on the list include  Titus Ekiru, Betty Wilson Lempus and Diana Kipyokei.

You can access the full link on the list here.

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