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The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) announced on Tuesday that Sarah Chepchirchir from Kenya, who previously won the Tokyo Marathon, has received an eight-year ban for breaking anti-doping rules for the second time.
Chepchirchir tested positive for testosterone, according to the AIU. The sample was taken at the Bangsaen42 Chonburi Marathon in Thailand in November.
In 2019, the 39-year-old athlete received a four-year suspension, starting from April 11, 2018, due to discrepancies found in her blood passport.
The most recent ban will take effect retroactively from Dec. 22, 2023 and all of Chepchirchir’s competition outcomes from Nov. 5 onwards will be invalidated.
Chepchirchir, the 2017 Tokyo Marathon champion, was given the opportunity to shorten her ban by one year if she admitted to the charge before the Feb. 11 deadline. However, she chose not to do so.
In the previous year, the AIU and Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya reported that a “medically-savvy operation” was aiding Kenyan athletes in concealing their doping violations.
In recent times, a number of Kenyan runners, such as Titus Ekiru, Betty Wilson Lempus, and Diana Kipyokei, have been banned or temporarily suspended.
The AIU has declared that Indian hammer thrower Rachna Kumari will be banned for 12 years due to her participation in the previous year’s Asian Games.
Kumari had been suspended for doping from 2015 to 2019.
Source: independent.co.uk
