NAIROBI, Kenya, March 21 – The 2014 Africa Championships 800m bronze medalist Agatha Jeruto was handed a two-year suspension and not the usual four for the use of the banned substance Clomifene metabolite hydroxy clomiphene because she did not consume it with the intention of improving her performance.
Jeruto had argued that she was not aware the banned substance was part of a medication she was taking for uterine bleeding while out of competition.
“It was submitted that the athlete was experiencing abnormal uterine bleeding, a health concern which prompted her to stay out of competition and it was during this period that she was prescribed medication meant to aid her ailment,” the report by Sports Dispute Tribunal (SDT) reads.
Clomifene is usually used by unscrupulous athletes for hormonal growth and is placed on World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) list of prohibited substances.
The national anti-doping body had prayed for a four-year suspension for Jeruto in accordance with article 10.2.1 of its anti-doping regulations, noting that the athlete failed to undertake due care to ensure she was not afoul of the rules by consuming the medication.
However, the 2013 Africa Junior 800m silver medalist countered that ADAK had not done enough to prove that her use of the substance was intentional, noting that she was not wholly at fault for the anti-doping rule violation.
“Furthermore, the consumption of the medication with the specified substance was not intended to improve sport-related performance. Instead, the respondent was having health difficulties that compelled her to withdraw from competition as she sought medical intervention,” the report says.
Moreover, Jeruto asked the tribunal to consider the fact that she has received minimum education on anti-doping and that she was in distress and pain when she took the medication.
“The athlete, by her own admission, has claimed that she received minimal education on anti-doping which impairs her ability to make informed choices. Additionally, she was in ill-health which is likely to have affected her decision-making,” the report says.
In reaching its verdict, the tribunal, chaired by Njeri Onyango, noted that ADAK had failed to prove that Jeruto intentionally used the substance to boost her performance but decreed that the athlete had been negligent by failing to inform her doctor that she was a sportsperson bound by anti-doping regulations.
Jeruto’s suspension will be backdated to March 10 last year while her competitive results since then will be disqualified.
This is the second time in seven years that the athlete has been hit by sanctions after she was slapped with a four-year suspension in 2015 for failing a doping test while out of competition.
