NAIROBI, Kenya, June 18 – The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has banned Kenya’s Nicholas Kosimbei for three years after testing positive for the prohibited substance trimetazidine.
In a statement, the agency said the 2014 World Under 20 10,000m bronze medalist tested positive for the substance in February last year in the aftermath of Atlanta Half Marathon in which he finished second.
“In summary, the Athlete’s explanation is that he was prescribed Trimetazidine 35mg in a private clinic on 16 December 2022 to treat chest pain and that he took the medication twice a day for 3 days from that date,” the agency revealed.
Trimetazidine is a banned substance due to its ability to enhance endurance during physical activity.
The agency further revealed that the athlete has accepted the ban and waived his right to appeal the same.
Axe of the law
Also slain by AIU’s latest onslaught on offenders is Ibrahim Mukunga Wachira who has been banished to the athletics wilderness for six years after testing positive for the banned substances norandrosterone and tamofixen.
The 32-year-old tested positive off of a urine sample provided in September 2022 after an in-competition in Tallin, Estonia.
According to AIU’s account, Wachira showed up at a hospital in Karatina with a dose of norandrosterone, which he then directed he be injected with for relief from a knee pain.
“On March 1, 2024, AIU received a second handwritten response from the Alpha Medical Clinic dated 28 February 2024 which confirmed, inter alia, that the athlete had visited Alpha Medical Clinic for assistance in administering already prescribed injections,” the agency revealed.
Despite the revelations, Wachira insisted that the medication had been prescribed to him at the clinic.
The agency reveals the athlete was further unable to explain the tamoxifen metabolites in his blood samples.
Also set for a spell on the sidelines is the 2023 Bali Marathon champion Sophy Jepchirchir who has been slapped with a three-year ban for the use of testosterone.
