2018 African 1500m champion Elijah Manan’goi has admitted responsibility for his whereabout failure that led to his 2-year doping ban by the Athletics Integrity Unit.
Manangoi, the 2017 World 1500m champion, accepted AIU’s verdict and apologised to athletics stakeholders and Kenyans at large for betraying their trust.
“I have accepted their decisions (AIU) though it will be difficult to forgive myself. I am sorry for disappointing my country, Athletics Kenya, my management, my coach, and all whom I have betrayed their trust,” Manang’oi said in a Facebook post.
Manan’goi vowed to come back stronger after the lapse of his ban on December 21, 2021.
“I’m a clean athlete and I will be back on the track and win right,” he said.
He further urged fellow Kenyan athletes to be cautious of the whereabout requirement, which is increasingly becoming a snare for many.
“It seems simple but a slight mistake can be costly at the end, It’s shameful,” Manan’goi said.
Manan’goi was handed the ban after missing three consecutive doping tests in 2019 due to whereabout failures on July 3, November 12, and December 22.
The whereabout requirement dictates that an athlete earmarked for random doping tests should be at a specified location of their choice within a 60-minute time slot that the athlete fills in the Anti-Doping Administration Management Systems — also known as ADAMS.
This information can be changed by the athlete or his/her designated person whenever the location and the time slot change.
In Manan’goi’s case, AIU says that the athlete was missing from his specified location of Rongai Nazarene when anti-doping officers arrived to test him at the time slot of 8-9 p.m.
“The AIU confirmed that the athlete’s explanation failed to demonstrate that no negligence on his behalf caused or contributed to his failure to be present and available for testing at his designated time slot,” AIU said.
Manan’goi’s competitive results since December 22, 2019 stand nullified as a result of the ban and will be required to forfeit any medals, titles, appearance money, points prizes, and awards earned during this period.