Two more Kenyan athletes provisionally suspended by AIU

Just before Kenyans would come to terms with news from the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) stating that the 2021 Boston Marathon winner Diana Kipyokei and her training mate Betty Lempus had been provisionally suspended for violating the anti-doping rules, the duo of Ibrahim Wachira and Kenneth Kiprop Renju have procured themselves a similar sanction.

The past weeks have seen Kenyan athletes get various penalties for their acts of omission and commission with Wachira and Kiprop joining the worrying and swelling list of the nabbed runners.

Kipyokei and Lempus were suspended hardly three days after marathoners Mark Kangogo and Philip Kacheran who was supposed to represent the country in the Commonwealth Games held in August were caught.

Wachira and Kiprop were provisionally suspended after their samples returned positive for banned substances.

Wachira, is suspended for the presence of prohibited substance (Norandrosterone) contrary to Article 2.1 and 2.2 while Kiprop is suspended for the presence/ use of a prohibited substance in violation of Article 2.1 and 2.2.

According to the World Athletics, Kiprop has previously won the 10km Lille race in March and would go on to win the Prague Half Marathon the following month.

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The 26-year old scooped silver in last year’s Copenhagen Half Marathon. Wachira on the other hand won the Helsinki City Half Marathon in March.

Other big names who have been flagged down for various doping wrongdoings in recent times include the 2019 Chicago Marathon winner Lawrence Cherono who had initially been selected to represent Kenya in the World Championships held in Oregon.

Rotterdam Marathon champions Stella Barsosio as well as Lilian Kasait have also been previously been nabbed.