3-Time Boston Marathon Winner found Guilty of Doping, Banned for 2 Years
Athletics Kenya announced on Friday that marathon queen and three-time Boston marathon winner, Rita Jeptoo will be banned from the sport for two years after she was found guilty of doping.
"AK followed due process in her [Rita Jeptoo] matter and it was appropriate that she serves a two-year ban," AK chief executive Isaac Kamande told Reuters.
According to the reports, Jeptoo's "A" and "B" blood samples came back positive for EPO, a blood-booster. The test was conducted out-of-competition on September 25 right before Jeptoo went on to win her second Chicago marathon in a row in October.
Jeptoo, 33, was also denied her $500,000 prize for winning the 2013/14 World Marathon Majors. Jeptoo has won three Boston Marathons. In 2014, she set a course record with her 2:18:57 performance.
Jeptoo was punished under the previous World Anti-Doping Code, which punishes athletes with a two-year ban for a serious doping offense. The punishment was doubled to four-years under a new version of the code, which was enforced on Jan. 1.
Over the past two years, many Kenyan athletes have failed their drug tests, which the government blames on foreign agents as well as AK's inability to properly educate its athletes. The Kenyan's sports minister stated that the increase in doping cases has "embarrassed" his nation.
On Wednesday Kenya signed a deal with Chinese and Norwegian anti-doping agencies.
