Kenya's Charles Kipkkurui Langat issued with two-year ban for doping offence
Kenyan road runner Charles Kipkkurui Langat has received a two-year ban for violating World Athletics anti-doping regulations.
Kenyan road runner Charles Kipkkurui Langat been banned for two years from competing after being found to have violated World Athletics anti-doping rules.
The 28-year-old athlete, who won the eDreams Mitja Marató Barcelona in 2023 with an impressive time of 58:53, provided an out-of-competition urine sample in Iten, Kenya, on August 6, 2024.
The sample tested positive for the prohibited substance Furosemide a diuretic commonly used as a masking agent.
The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), the body responsible for managing doping-related issues in athletics, confirmed the violation in a statement released this week.
The AIU’s findings state that Langat did not have a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) for Furosemide, and after reviewing his case, it was determined that no procedural errors occurred during the sample collection and testing process.
“The AIU has no evidence that the Anti-Doping Rule Violations were intentional, and the mandatory period of Ineligibility to be imposed is therefore a period of two (2) years,” the AIU said in its decision.
Langat admitted to the use of Furosemide in an explanation provided to the AIU, stating that he had been suffering from inflammation since September 2023 and had sought medical treatment in the Netherlands earlier this year.
He claimed a doctor advised him to use the substance.
“On 31 July 2024, he contacted a doctor that he knew, who, based on the Athlete’s symptoms, advised him to try using Furosemide for four (4) days to help reduce the inflammation he was experiencing and to ‘help the kidney and the adrenal glands,’” the report detailed.
Despite his explanation, Langat’s admission was enough for the AIU to impose sanctions.
The AIU outlined that his ineligibility would begin from September 11, 2024, when he was provisionally suspended, and his results since August 6, 2024, would be disqualified.
This includes the forfeiture of any titles, awards, and appearance money accumulated during this period.
Langat's case is the latest in a growing number of doping violations involving Kenyan athletes.
Just days ago, another Kenyan runner, Emmaculate Anyango Achol, was provisionally suspended after failing a doping test for testosterone and the blood-boosting hormone EPO.
Anyango, who made headlines by becoming the second woman to complete a 10km race in under 29 minutes, is currently awaiting the outcome of her case.
Kenya,has been grappling with a string of doping scandals in recent years.
The Athletics Integrity Unit has intensified its testing efforts, particularly in high-altitude training regions like Iten, where many elite athletes train.
Langat’s acceptance of the two-year ban and his decision not to contest the charge has drawn attention from both the global athletics community and his home country.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) have the right to appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
posted Wednesday October 9th
by Festus Chuma