Former Tokyo Marathon Champion Receives Eight-Year Ban for Second Doping Violation
In a blow to Kenyan athletics, Sarah Chepchirchir, the former Tokyo Marathon champion, has been slapped with an eight-year ban by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) for a second violation of anti-doping regulations.
The AIU disclosed that Chepchirchir's urine sample, collected at the Bangsaen42 Chonburi Marathon in Thailand in November 2023, showed metabolites of testosterone, indicating external origin. Testosterone is prohibited in World athletics.
Despite having the option to reduce her recent ban by one year by admitting to the charge, Chepchirchir failed to meet the deadline of February 11th and will therefore face the full time. The AIU's decision has determined that the ban will be backdated to December 22nd, 2023, disqualifying Chepchirchir's competition results from November 5th, 2023, onwards.
The statement from AIU says, "The athlete is ineligible from competing in any event for eight years commencing December 22, 2023, until December 21, 2031. Further, the athlete’s results since November 5, 2023, have been disqualified including the forfeiture of any titles, awards, medals, points, prizes and appearance money."
The statement also revealed that the AIU had given her an opportunity to provide a detailed written explanation when she was notified of the rule violation, but she refused to respond, triggering the subsequent ban. The athlete has the option to appeal the decision through the World Anti-Doping Agency(WADA) or the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.
This is not the first time Chepchirchir has faced doping-related issues. The 39-year-old had previously served a four-year ban, backdated to April 11, 2018, due to abnormalities in her athlete blood passport.
This incident adds to the growing list of Kenyan athletes facing bans or provisional suspensions for doping offences. The AIU, in collaboration with the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya, highlighted concerns about a "medically-savvy operation" aiding Kenyan athletes in covering up doping offences last year.
