Kenyan Olympic finalist banned four years for doping

Kenyan distance runner and Olympic finalist Benard Kibet Koech has been banned for four years after anti-doping authorities found abnormalities in his biological data linked to possible blood doping.

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) announced the sanction after identifying discrepancies in Koech’s Athlete Biological Passport (ABP), a monitoring system that tracks biological markers over time to detect potential use of performance-enhancing methods, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.

Koech, 26, finished fifth in the men’s 10,000m final at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The AIU confirmed that this result will now be disqualified following the ruling.

Before his provisional suspension last year, Koech was ranked among the world’s top long-distance runners and held a world record in the 10-mile road distance.

Blood samples collected around the 2024 Kenyan Olympic Trials and the Paris Olympics showed unusually high haemoglobin levels. An expert panel reviewed the data and concluded the abnormalities were consistent with likely blood doping.

The Athlete Biological Passport system does not directly detect banned substances. Instead, it tracks changes in biological indicators over time to identify patterns linked to doping.

Koech’s team argued that the irregularities were caused by factors including COVID-19 infection, iron supplements and altitude training. However, the expert panel rejected these explanations.

Koech is among a growing number of Kenyan athletes facing doping sanctions. According to anti-doping records, more than 150 Kenyan athletes are currently serving doping-related bans.

The case adds to ongoing scrutiny of doping controls in international athletics, particularly in endurance events.

News.Az 

By Aysel Mammadzada