Doping: Sprinter Mark Otieno banned for two years
Kenyan sprinter Mark Otieno works on his take-off technique during training at the Fukuoka Prefecture Kurume Sports Centre in Kurume City, Japan, yesterday (July 19, 2021).
What you need to know:
- Their suspension comes three weeks after the country survived being banned from international events by the World Athletics Council owing to the rising cases of doping in the country.
- More than 30 Kenyan athletes, mostly elite, have been suspended in the past one year for flouting various anti-doping rules.
Former national 100m record holder Mark Otieno is among three Kenyan athletes who have been handed a total of eight years ban for using performance enhancing substances.
Otieno was barred from competing in men’s 100m during the Tokyo Olympic Games after testing positive for a banned substance.
Otieno had appealed the decision, but Athletes Integrity Unit (AIU) on Monday handed the sprinter a two-year ban for the presence and use of a prohibited substance- Methasterone.
Otieno’s ban starts from July 31, 2021 and his results since June 24, 2021 have been disqualified.
Alice Jepkemboi Kimutai, who won Porto Marathon on November 6, this year and Kigali International Peace Marathon silver medallist Johnstone Kibet Maiyo have been banned for three years each.
Kimutai, 30, who will serve her sentence from November, 16 this year, tested positive for Testosterone, and her results from September 20, this year have been disqualified.
Maiyo, 34, has been found guilty for using Erythropoietin (Epo) and will now serve the sentence from July 20, this year with his results since May 29, this year being trashed.
Kimutai and Maiyo have competed once this year.
Their suspension comes three weeks after the country survived being banned from international events by the World Athletics Council owing to the rising cases of doping in the country.
More than 30 Kenyan athletes, mostly elite, have been suspended in the past one year for flouting various anti-doping rules.
