Two-time winner of AJC Peachtree Road Race from Kenya banned for doping
Boston - October 11: Men's racer Benson Kipruto crosses the Finish Line to win the 125th Boston Marathon in Boston on Oct. 11, 2021. (Photo by Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
MONACO - Kenyan runner Rhonex Kipruto has been stripped of his world record in men’s 10-kilometer road racing and banned for six years in a doping case.
A disciplinary panel ruled that abnormalities in Kipruto’s blood samples pointed to "a deliberate and sophisticated doping regime" and Kipruto likely had help from unknown third parties. At the time, he was aiming to qualify for the last Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
The panel imposed a six-year ban because of what it deemed the "aggravating circumstances" in the case, up from a standard four-year doping ban.
Kipruto was disqualified from all of his results since September 2018, meaning he loses a world championship bronze medal in the 10,000 meters from 2019 and his 10k road record from 2020.
That record is set to pass to Ethiopian runner Berihu Aregawi. He ran 26 minutes, 33 seconds in the 10k last year, nine seconds slower than Kipruto’s time.
Kipruto won the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race in 2019 and 2022.
In 2019, Kipruto set a course record and received a $50,000 bonus for the 50th Running of the Peachtree, according to Atlanta Track Club.
In a statement sent to FOX , the Atlanta Track Club wrote:
"Atlanta Track Club is committed to the integrity of sport. For decades, we have conducted drug testing of the elite athlete field at the Peachtree as part of our efforts to maintain a clean and fair environment for competition. We learned today that the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has banned Rhonex Kipruto for six years due to violations of its Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) and disqualified his results going back to 2018. We recognize this impacts the results of the Peachtree from 2019 and from 2022.According to his legal representation, Kipruto plans to appeal the AIU’s decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Pending more information on the status of that appeal, we will refrain from further comments.
"According to his legal representation, Kipruto plans to appeal the AIU’s decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Pending more information on the status of that appeal, we will refrain from further comments."
No banned substance was found in Kipruto’s system and the case rested on data from his biological passport, which tracks athletes’ blood samples over time to detect irregularities and changes that point to blood doping.
The panel said Kipruto’s defense sought to blame illnesses, irregular training habits and his alcohol use, which it said had increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Kipruto also sought to dispute the validity of some blood samples in the case.
A statement on Kipruto’s website dated Tuesday and attributed to unnamed legal counsel indicated he is considering an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. "Despite exhaustive efforts to present comprehensive medical evidence and expert testimonies, the ruling failed to consider crucial aspects of Rhonex’s health and circumstances," the statement said.
It is the latest in a long series of doping cases involving Kenyan distance runners.
Fellow Kenyan runner Rodgers Kwemoi, who placed fourth behind Kipruto in the world championship 10,000 in 2019, was banned for six years last month in a similar case based around blood sample data.
AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
NOTE: FOX 5 Atlanta contributed to this report.