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At least 60 Kenyan middle and long-distance runners are currently ineligible to compete due to doping, missed tests or Athlete Biological Passport anomolies.
Add to that list, James Kibet. He has been served a four-year ban for anti-doping violations, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) announced on Friday.
He was provisionally suspended after he tested positive for nandrolone and anabolic steroids at the La Corsa dei Santi 10K in Rome that took place in November 2019.
Kibet claims that the substances could have entered his body through contaminated meat. Not so, says the AIU.
Kibet submitted a video from a farmer in Eldoret who explained how pigs are fed supplements — not good enough!
The AIU argued that it is the athlete’s duty to ensure no prohibited substances enter the body.
The 32-year-old Kibet ran his half-marathon personal best of 63:56 in October 2019 at the Torino Half Marathon. In April that year he clocked a best in the 10,000m of 28:23.21 in Milan, Italy. The suspension will pretty much end his competitive career.
Another doping case involving Russian racewalker Ivan Noskov.
He had already served a four-year suspension; however, the AIU has released a statement indicating that certain results have been disqualified: “DQ results: from 29 January 2015 until 2 June 2015.”
Noskov is a two-time gold medallist from the European Race Walking Cup.
The 32-year-old 50K specialist finished sixth during the 2013 Moscow World Athletics Championships with the finish time of 3:41:36. His personal best is 3:37:41 from 2014.
The two countries, Russia and Kenya have the most athletes currently under suspension. Russia is serving an international ban for all sports.
