Kenyan athlete provisionally suspended for doping
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Reading Time: 1min | Tue. 06.08.24. | 18:29
Kenya is in Category A of countries with the highest risk of doping, according to the World Anti-Doping Agency
Barely a week after winning the 16th Ryan Shay Mile, Kenya's Esther Gitahi has been flagged and provisionally suspended for the presence/use of EPO.
The 28-year-old who competes in middle distance races and cross country for Alabama in USA collegiate races has spent the better part of her career away from Kenya, having landed a scholarship after finishing school in Kenya.
She joins a growing list of Kenyan athletes sanctioned for rule violation with EPO.
The AIU has provisionally suspended Esther Gitahi (Kenya) for the Presence/Use of a Prohibited Substance (EPO).
— Athletics Integrity Unit (@aiu_athletics) August 6, 2024
Details here: https://t.co/Y8LF9j2o9f pic.twitter.com/HfSKXRRxZM
Erythropoietin (EPO) is a hormone that your kidneys primarily produce to help ones body maintain a healthy amount of red blood cells (erythrocytes).
There is also a synthetic (man-made) form of erythropoietin that healthcare providers use to treat anaemia that results from chronic kidney disease.
When introduced to an athletes' body, the drug boosts their performance because EPO increases the availability of oxygen to their muscles.
Her sanction follows that of marathoner Rodgers Gesabwa who was provisionally suspended three weeks ago for the Presence/Use of a Prohibited Substance-Benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine uses to relieve pain.
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