Alarm bells ring as doping menace rears ugly head again

The alarm bells are ringing and the dark cloud continues to hang over the athletics world.

As the medals haul continues and celebrations take centre stage on one side, the doping menace is causing a major scare on the other.

Almost every year, big names are either suspended or banned. Recently, two-time Frankfurt marathon champion Brimin Misoi was slapped with a suspension.

He becomes the latest big shot to be put to defence over suspected cheating in the sport.

A quiet athlete but lethal on the road, Misoi has cut the figure of a man on a mission.

He savoured victory at the 2024 Sydney Marathon just before the Australian race was elevated to a World Marathon Major (WMM).

Slightly over two months after the triumph, Misoi expressed mixed feelings; the joy of being the last man to win the race and the challenge of returning to Sydney on August 31, 2025, when the race will be run as the seventh WMM.

However, Misoi, suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) for the presence of prohibited substances EPO and Furosemide, is staring at a ban.

It was a huge blow for the marathon star who was trying to compete at the Sydney Marathon as a world major.

The Sydney Marathon said in a statement that it was disappointed by the suspension.

“We will continue to do everything we can to ensure cheats are caught and do not benefit from cheating,” the marathon said in a statement.

The Sydney Marathon statement went on: “We are extremely disappointed to learn that Brimin Misoi Kipkorir has failed an out-of-competition drugs test. He is currently provisionally suspended from the competition pending the outcome of the case.

Misoi is among several Kenyan athletes under investigation for testing positive for substances banned in sport.

More than seven athletes are either facing sanctions this year alone.

Athletics Kenya (AK) President Jackson Tuwei says doping, age cheating and gender-based violence remain the major threats to the integrity of athletics.

“It’s a shame that as we promote events, we are slapped in the face by doping and gender-based violence. I urge the whole system in athletics to uphold respect,” Tuwei said ahead of the Sirikwa Classic World Cross Country Tour.

He further said: “We are bidding for the 2029 World Championships in Nairobi and we can’t display irresponsible behaviours. We are respected by the global community and we should respect ourselves by upholding integrity.”

Athletes such as Diana Kipyoeki, who is currently serving a six-year ban after allegedly testing positive for a prohibited substance, were stripped of her 2021 Boston Marathon title. Lawrence Cherono, who was getting ready to represent Kenya at the 2022 World Championships in Oregon, is serving seven years.

This year alone, seven athletes, including Careen Cheptoek, have faced sanctions.

The 31-year-old athlete was found to have tested positive for Methylprednisolone in a sample collected on December 15, 2024, at the Taipei City Marathon.

“The AIU has no evidence that the Anti-Doping Rule Violations were intentional and the period of ineligibility to be imposed is, therefore, a period of ineligibility of two (2) years commencing February 19, 2025; and disqualification of the Athlete’s results on and since December 152024, with all resulting consequences, including the forfeiture of any titles, awards, medals, points, prizes and appearance money,” AIU said in a statement.

The Kaohsiung Marathon winner (2023) had told AIU, in her defence, that the prohibited substance was in the medicine she was using to treat an ailment but investigations however revealed that the medicine she claims to have used did not have Methylprednisolone.

Just last month, Elijah Kipkosgei, who had placed 22nd at the 2023 Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon was banned for two years after his sample allegedly collected from him last October at a 42km race in China returned a positive result for Triamcinolone acetonide.

When February came, the shocking news of the suspension of Ronald Kimeli Kurgat broke.

The 39-year-old athlete is the reigning Nairobi Marathon champion after winning the race in October 2024.

He was suspended on February 21 for the presence of Triamcinolone acetonide.

Sheila Jepkosgei Chesang has also found herself in trouble this year. Her sample, which was collected at the Kuala Lumpur Marathon on October 6, 2024, turned positive for a banned substance, according to the AIU.

Another athlete, Geoffrey Yegon was suspended earlier in February.

AIU reports show that the doping trend is worsening across the globe.

For instance, earlier this year, Olympic and World silver medallist Koki Ikeda of Japan was banned for four years by the Disciplinary and Appeals Tribunal in an Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) case.

In an operative award rendered at that time, the Tribunal ruled that the 26-year-old Japanese race walker breached Rule 2.2 of the World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules – “Use or Attempted Use of a Prohibited Substance or a Prohibited Method.” Ikeda, a former World number one, has been provisionally suspended since 1 November 2024, and the time served has been credited to his ban.

His results between 20 June 2023 and November 1, 2024 have been disqualified.

“The athlete was charged after abnormalities were detected in his blood samples collected on 20 June 2023 and between 16 August and 13 September 2023, which the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) alleged were indicative of blood manipulation.

“The matter was referred to the Disciplinary and Appeals Tribunal after Ikeda denied the charge. An operative award was issued so a decision could be reached before the Japan Race Walking Championships on 16 February, in which the athlete wished to compete,” AIU said in a report.

Ikeda bagged silver at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and returned to the podium the following year with another second-place finish at the World Championships in Eugene, United States.