Kenyan 10km world record holder Rhonex Kipruto has been suspended for suspected doping and faces a four-year ban.
Kipruto currently holds the 10km record, having run 26 minutes 24 seconds in Valencia in January 2020. He is also the third fastest half marathoner in history, with a personal best (PB) of 57 minutes 49 seconds. Kipruto also won bronze at the 2019 World Championships in Doha in the 10,000m, finishing third behind Uganda's Joshua Cheptegei and Ethiopia's Yomif Kejelcha.
But on May 17, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) announced a provisional suspension of Kipruto for allegedly using a banned substance or banned method related to the Athlete Biological Passport (ABP).
Kipruto right before the finish line, setting a 10km world record at the Valencia 2020 race. Photo: Valencia Ciudad del Running
The Kenyan runner was notified by the AIU of some irregularities in his ABP blood values from July 2018 to March 2022. The AIU did not directly accuse Kipruto of using banned substances, but the 28-year-old was provisionally suspended and asked to provide an explanation.
The purpose of ABP is to monitor an athlete's blood values over a long period of time to monitor for possible signs of doping, even if they pass a doping test.
The AIU will analyze ABP data to track specific biological parameters over time that may indirectly reveal the effects of doping. This approach allows the AIU to create a profile for each athlete and detect any fluctuations that may indicate the athlete has used performance-enhancing substances.
A profile for each athlete is created based on statistics that use data from previous samples to predict the individual's performance limit or range for future samples. According to the AIU, if any data from a test sample falls outside the athlete's performance range, it could be an indication of doping.
Following the AIU ruling, Kipruto denied any wrongdoing and agreed to undergo extensive blood testing under 24/7 surveillance. "I did not cheat or dope," he insisted. "The facts are on my side. That's all I can say."
Kipruto in a 10km race in the US. Photo: NYRR
Agent Davor Savija said he spent $30,000 trying to prove Kipruto’s innocence. Independent physiologists said there were other plausible explanations for Kipruto’s questionable blood values, including his training load, health status, hydration, travel, and alcohol consumption, rather than the AIU’s accusation of using a banned substance or method.
Kipruto is coached by renowned Irish track coach Colm O'Connell, nicknamed the "Godfather of Kenyan Running." He has coached two-time Olympic champion David Rudisha and two-time Boston Marathon champion Edna Kiplagat. According to a press release, O'Connell has not been convicted of doping in his 50-year coaching career.
O'Connell also maintained that Kipruto was clean. He said: "I carefully choose who I work with and dedicate my energy to. I know Kipruto is an honest person and it breaks my heart to see him suffering at this time. Our strategy is to train hard, and that is the only way we will get results. I have said many times that I support a systematic anti-doping regime that can protect clean athletes like Kipruto."
The Guardian newspaper said Kipruto "faces an uphill battle" to clear his name. If found guilty, he faces a four-year ban and joins a list of 65 Kenyan athletes banned for doping, including 2021 Boston Marathon champion Diana Kipyokei, who was banned for six years for using the banned substance triamcinolone acetonide, and 2017 Paris Marathon champion Purity Rionoripo, who was banned for five years for testing positive for the banned diuretic furosemide.
For now, the 10km record holder will not be able to compete or train with the team until the charges are closed.
Hong Duy
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