The doping scourge continued to rear its ugly head with two more Kenyan long distance runners being flagged down for doping offences.
Athletes Integrity Unit (AIU), the body formed by World Athletics to combat doping in the sport, Tuesday provisionally suspended Ibrahim Mukunga Wachira and Kenneth Kiprop Renju for the use of banned substances.
Mukunga, who won a half marathon race in Estonia in socks in 2017, has been suspended for the use of prohibited Norandrosterone, while the national 10,000m champion Renju got nabbed for the use of Methasterone.
Renju is the most successful of the duo, besides winning the national title on April 27 this year, he also won Lille 10km race on March 27 in France, Prague Half Marathon on April 2 in the Czech Republic and Lisbon Half Marathon on May 22 in Portugal.
He started the season with a third place finish at Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon on February 19 in the United Arab Emirates.
Mukunga and Renju’s ban comes only four days after the 2021 Boston Marathon champion, Diana Kipyokei and her compatriot Betty Wilson Lempus were suspended for using banned substances.
Kipyokei and Lempus’ suspension came only three days after Kenyan marathon runners Mark Kangogo and Philemon Kacheran were banned for doping.
Kacheran, who was been banned for three years on Monday last week, was hounded out from Team Kenya that was already in Birmingham for the Commonwealth Games held July 28 to August 8 in the British second capital city.
Kacheran’s ban came six days after compatriot Lawrence Cherono, the 2019 Chicago and Boston marathon champion, was prevented from competing in the World Athletics Championships in Oregon, also for a doping offence.
Besides Kacheran, three other Kenyans were banned from taking part at the Commonwealth Games due to doping.
They were female marathoners Stella Barsosio, Changwony and 1,500m runner Kumari Taki.
Close to 30 Kenyans athletes have been flagged down for various doping offences. The list could grow since more cases that are yet to be revealed are at the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK).
In 2016, the country was placed in category A of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) compliance watch list. BY DAILY NATION