- Kenyan Daniel Wanjiru won the men’s race in 2017
- Wanjiru charged with ‘use of prohibited substance’
Kenyan runner Daniel Wanjiru, winner of the 2017 London Marathon, has been provisionally suspended following an alleged anti-doping violation.
Wanjiru’s sanction was announced on Tuesday by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), which confirmed he has been charged with “use of a prohibited substance [or] method”.
The 27-year-old was also victorious in the 2016 Amsterdam Marathon. Under anti-doping rules, Wanjiru cannot participate in any competition until a hearing has taken place into the allegation.
Wanjiru has finished eighth and 11th in the past two London marathons. Last year, Kenyans Asbel Kiprop, Cyrus Rutto and Abraham Kiptum were all given four-year bans, while Vincent Kipsegechi Yator received the same ban earlier this month.
Wilson Kipsang, the former marathon world record holder, was provisionally suspended in January for whereabouts failures and tampering with samples. Kipsang’s management company has denied the case involved doping, or tampering with the doping test.
The 2012 Olympic marathon bronze medallist made headlines earlier this month, when he was arrested for breaching a curfew in Kenya. Kipsang was one of 20 men who had locked themselves in a bar amid the country’s coronavirus shutdown.
Around 60 Kenyan athletes have been sanctioned for anti-doping rule violations in the past five years. Last month, Kenya said it planned to impose criminal penalties – including possible jail terms – on athletes caught doping.
(The Guardian)
