Rodgers Ondaji Gesabwa, a 36-year-old Kenyan road runner affiliated to the Federation of Mexican Athletics Associations (FMMA).
A traditional South American drink, Coca tea, caused a Kenyan athlete based in Mexico to be banned for doping.
Rodgers Ondaji Gesabwa, a 36-year-old Kenyan road runner affiliated to the Federation of Mexican Athletics Associations (FMMA) was suspended from athletics for three months from July 10 to October 10 for presence of a prohibited substance cocaine metabolite, benzoylecgonine in his urine, Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said on Wednesday.
Coca tea contains the components but Gesabwa says he consumed them unknowingly. AIU indicated that his results from May 19, 2024 have been expunged.
Another Kenyan athlete, 2023 Barcelona and Lisbon Half Marathons winner Charles Langat, was banned for two years starting August 6 after a positive furosemide test.
Gesabwa, who has mainly competed in races in Mexico, finished third in the Lima Marathon on May 19 in two hours, 13 minutes and 59 seconds. This result has been erased from the record books.
Coca tea, also known as mate de coca, is a herbal tea made using the raw or dried leaves of the coca plant, which is native to South America.
It is made either by submerging the coca leaf or dipping a tea bag in hot water. The tea is most commonly consumed in the Andes mountain range, particularly Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and especially in Peru.
It is greenish yellow in colour and has a mild bitter flavour similar to green tea with a more organic sweetness.
AIU indicated that Gesabwa provided a urine sample in competition during the Lima Marathon on May 19 in Lima.
The sample showed an Adverse Analytical Finding based on the presence of a cocaine metabolite, benzoylecgonine.
Cocaine is a prohibited substance under the Wada 2024 Prohibited List under the category S6 Stimulants.
The AIU notified Gesabwa on July 10 of his positive test and the imposition of an immediate provisional suspension.
However, AIU told Gesabwa that if he was able to prove that the ingestion or use of cocaine occurred out-of-competition and was unrelated to sport performance, then he would serve a three-month ban.
The ineligibility period would also be reduced to one month, if Gesabwa would complete a substance abuse treatment programme approved by the AIU.
In defence, Gesabwa said that he drank team during meals at his hotel in Lima which could have been the source of the substance but unknown to him.
