Mark Otieno makes running comeback with second place finish in Italy

More than two years since his last race, Kenyan 100m sprinter Mark Otieno finally made his first competitive comeback to the track on Tuesday and went on to finish in second place after clocking 10.39s in the Campo Scuola G. Perraro race held in Vicenza, Italy.

The competition marked the first time the Kenyan athlete was taking part in a race since 17 June 2021.

This is after he was banned by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) for two years for breaching anti-doping rules after he was found to have tested positive for the banned anabolic steroid methasterone on the eve of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

Otieno was initially suspended from the 100m heats in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics event, with AIU seeking a four-year ban that was reduced to two years after an adjudicating panel on 7 December 2022 upheld the decision that the steroids found in the athlete's samples originated from contaminated supplements manufactured from Mega Sports Inc.

The devastating provisional suspension landed as Mark waited to compete at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics was backdated to July 31, 2021 and elapsed on the same date in 2023, paving the way for him to revive his sprinting career.

"I am humbled and grateful that I get to do this again. Came in 2nd with 10.39 for my first race back . The work continues. One step at a time!" Mark posted after the race.

Otieno was one of Kenya’s most promising sprinters before the rise of Africa’s fastest man Ferdinand Omanyala.

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Before his ban, Otieno had represented the country at the 2017, 2019, and 2021 World Athletics Relays.

He was also part of the Kenyan team at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and the 2017 World Championships in London. The 30-year-old was also part of Team Kenya at the 2015 All-Africa Games and the 2016 and 2019 African Championships.