In November 2023, Athletics Illustrated reported that the Anti-Doping Agency (ADAK) of Kenya will suspend up to 50 athletes for doping. Now 33 more are banned according to ADAK.
Thirty-three athletes including 26 runners have been suspended as per the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU).
ADAK suspends 33 for violating anti-doping rules
— Anti-Doping Database (@Dopinglist) June 5, 2024
This comes even as Kenya's Paris-bound athletes are required to undergo at least three anti-doping tests by July 4 to the lead up to the Summer Games.https://t.co/QP3bWhcgIc
The seven other athletes come from basketball, rugby and handball. In road running, one of the bigger names is Joshua Belet, the 2023 TCS Amsterdam Marathon champion.
This marks the highest number of suspended athletes since January 2023. At the time, Athletics Kenya was nearly banned by World Athletics the same way Russia was for systematic doping. The time may have come to suspend the country and declare Athletics Kenyan non-compliant with World Athletics.
Joshua Belet and Dorcas Jepchumba Kimeli
Joshua Belet, age 26 is a 2:04:18 marathon runner from the Amsterdam Marathon in Oct. 2023, just eight months ago. The year prior he ran the half marathon in the time of 59:28 in Napoli, Italy.
Belet tested positive for a rich cocktail of Anabolic Androgenic Steroids, Testosterone, Adiol, Pregnanediol, Androsterone and Etiocholanolone.
Dorcas Jepchumba Kimeli has also been suspended too. She represented Kenya in two events including the 2020 Gdynia World Half Marathon Championships where she finished 11th in 1:07:55, which is her second best half. The 26-year-old owns a 10,000m best of 30:55.90 from Stockholm Diamond League 2021. Also a best of 1:07:10 in the half marathon from Barcelona 2020.
Meanwhile, sprinters Duke Osoro and Joan Jeruto are out with the 2012 World Under-20 5000m champion David Bett also banned.
