“I’m not upset that you lied to me, I’m upset that from now on I can’t believe you.”
– Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher
Well, the global athletics community is upset that Kenya has lied and the second-half of Nietzsche’s quote is the key here. Which world-class performances by Kenyans can the world trust?
The shine has long been off the Kenyan nation. The doping scourge is ever present and the latest alleged cheat is one of the fastest all-time 10km runners.
Distance runner, Emmaculate Anyango Achol, has been served with a provisional suspension for a doping violation.
The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) announced Anyango was suspended as she tested positive for the presence of testosterone and EPO.
The second fastest woman in the WOrld over the 10km Distance, Emmaculate Anyango Achol Suspended by Athletics Integrity Unit(AIU) for the Presence/Use of a Prohibited Substance (Testosterone and EPO)
— john vaselyne (@vaselyne) October 4, 2024
A sad Day for Kenya! pic.twitter.com/8JGq5jBHUS
She will face a four-year ban from the sport unless she admits fault, for which the AIU typically rewards the athlete with a reduced ban.
Anyngo has the second-fastest 10km in history having run 28:57 in Valencia this past January. The 24-year-old has a 10,000m best of 30:06.43 from May 2024. She also won the Discovery Cross Country Championships in 2023.
Kenya, once thought to be a pristine nation of athletes who lived close to the earth, benefitted by running for transportation, living at altitude and eating healthy diets is a farce no less than Russia and the former East Germany. While the system is different: Systematic doping in Russia and East Germany, the result is the same.
The bloom is off the rose.