By Victor Kanayo
The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) of the global Athletics body has banned three Kenyan athletes – Sprinter Mark Otieno, Alice Jepkemboi Kimutai and Johnstone Maiyo for failing a doping test.
Otieno, who tested positive during the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 has been slapped with a two-year ban for use of a prohibited substance known as Methasterone.
His suspension is starting July 31, 2021, and seeing all his results from June 24, 2021, disqualified.
Otieno, a three-time national 100m champion, will have his ban backdated from the Games and end in July 2023.
Kimutai was slammed a three-year suspension for use of a prohibited substance (Testosterone), seeing all her results from September 20, 2022, disqualified.
Also receiving a three-year ban is Maiyo for using EPO with his results from May 29, 2022, nullified.
All the decisions may be appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Last month, the east African country avoided a sanction by governing body World Athletics – despite having 55 athletes serving suspensions – after committing to spend $25m over the next five years to combat doping.
Kenya’s sports minister Ababu Namwamba then announced they intended to criminalise doping in athletics in an attempt to bring an end to a string of cases in the sport.
