Sabastian Sawe’s coach, Claudio Berardelli, coached at least five athletes suspended for doping

Kenyan marathon world record holder Sabastian Sawe’s coach, Italian Claudio Berardelli, was once fired by the agency he coached for due to recurring doping issues with athletes.

Sawe ran the 2026 London Marathon in the world record time of 1:59:30, to become the first person to run the marathon distance in a race under two hours. Meanwhile, Ethiopian Yomif Kejelcha also clocked under two hours, and it was his debut over the distance. He finished in 1:59:41.

There are at least five well-known cases of Kenyan athletes who ran under Berardelli and were suspended for doping. Some were, simultaneously, represented by Rosa & Associati. They include Rita Jeptoo, who was banned after testing positive for the red blood cell booster Erythropoietin, also known as EPO, in 2014.

Berardelli later faced charges in Kenya alleging he administered EPO, which he denied.

Agatha Jeruto received a four-year ban for steroid use in 2015 while training in Berardelli’s camp. Matthew Kisorio served a two-year suspension between 2012 and 2014; reports identified him as another athlete previously coached by Berardelli. Asbel Kiprop served a four-year ban for doping. He is the 2008 Beijing Olympic 1500m champion and three-time World Champion. Jemima Sumgong was banned eight years after winning and placing well in several marathons, including the 2016 Rio Olympics, where she won gold.

Sawe initiated a novel, voluntary, and independent anti-doping protocol to prove his performances are clean, particularly leading up to his record-setting performances in 2025 and 2026.

The protocol

High-frequency testing: In the two months leading up to the 2025 Berlin Marathon, Sawe underwent roughly 25 unannounced, out-of-competition tests.

• Independent oversight: The testing was conducted by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), ensuring it is fully independent, with neither Sawe nor his team knowing the exact timing or methods.
  
• Funding: The protocol is financially supported by a $50,000 contribution from Adidas, the sponsor.
  
• Continued monitoring: Following the success of the 2025 program, the AIU continued to keep Sawe on a higher testing frequency throughout 2026 compared to other elite athletes.
  
• Purpose: The initiative aims to combat the so-called doping in Kenya and attempts to eliminate doubts surrounding his performances.

Berardelli, whose coaching organization is called 2Running Club, is located in Nandi County, Kenya

The five high-profile doping cases do not implicate Berardelli or Sabastian Sawe with performance-enhancing drugs, at this time.

Currently, there are 140 Kenyan athletes suspended for doping, none of whom are associated with Sawe’s coach Eric Lilot. There appears to be no history whatsoever of Lilot’s athletes being suspended in any way due to doping.

Berardelli’s athletes were caught a long time ago, while he was coaching for Rosa & Associati. Since his firing, there appear to be no athletes suspended under his watch.

But why would Sawe go out of his way to be tested many times, leading up to his record performances, yet associate himself with a coach long connected to athletes who have doped is a mystery.

Berardelli’s athletes