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Adamant Asbel Kiprop proclaims innocence six years after doping furore

More than five years later, Olympic champion Asbel Kiprop still insists on his innocence and he strongly believes he was framed.

More than five years later, three-time World champion Asbel Kiprop still insists that he is innocent and did not deserve to be banned for a doping offense.

Kiprop shared on his Facebook page, lamenting about the turn of events that saw him land on the wrong side of the Athletics Integrity Unit.

He wrote: “In 2017 Alone I was Tested 19 Times; 3 times in the week of November, that beget a Mysterious AAF of 27th November.”

Meanwhile, the 2008 Olympic champion was handed a four-year ban by the AIU after he tested positive for EPO in an out-of-competition test in Kenya in November 2017. Kiprop's suspension was backdated to February 3, 2018, when he was provisionally suspended.

Kiprop fought for his freedom since he explained that he was innocent. On April 12, 2018, Kiprop’s lawyer posted a statement on Facebook that noted that the positive test resulted from a contaminated sample or was flawed.

Since the time of the ban, Kiprop has been vocal about his innocence and insisted that he did not commit any doping offense.

"The decision is not only a blow to me, but it is not good for the sport of athletics. I have been insisting that I did not dope.

"I will continue to maintain my innocence, even if this decision now means I will not be eligible to run again for the next four years,” Kiprop told AFP.

In his defense, Kiprop told investigators that he was provided with advanced notice about the drug test ahead and later made a payment to doping control officials.

It was determined that the advanced notice and the payment did not cause the adverse analytical finding of EPO in Kiprop's drug sample.