Kenyan runner Philip Kangogo was handed a two-year suspension on Thursday by the Athletes Integrity Unit (AIU) after failing a doping test.
The 36-year-old tested positive for the presence of the prohibited substance named higenamine, a dietary supplement to promote weight loss, but is alleged to be a potential masking agent for other drugs. He was tested during the PZU Cracovia Marathon that takes place in Krakow, Poland on April 28, 2019. He finished third in the time of two hours, 13 minutes, and 46 seconds.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accredited laboratory in Warsaw reported an adverse analytical finding on June 3, 2019.
After an investigation by Athletics Kenya, where Kangogo admitted to doping, but not intentionally, the AIU issued the notice of charge. He was given a choice to either admit the violation and accept a two-year period of ineligibility, or to request a hearing before the Disciplinary Tribunal, by no later than June 29, 2020.
His personal bests are 2:08:16 and 1:00:57 in the half-marathon.
Kangogo is another in a long line of Kenyan athletes who have run afoul of WADA or AIU. There are currently more than 53 Kenyan athletes that are ineligible to compete due to doping, missed tests, or anomalies in their Athlete Biological Passport, more than any other country except for Russia who are under a complete ban.
