NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 26 – Kenyan 21-year old long distance runner Faith Chepkoech has been slapped with a three-year ban by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) after she tested positive for the presence of recombinant Erythropoietin (EPO).
An out of competition test on a sample collected in Iten on July 26 provided the positive test. Chepkoech was to be banned for four years, but received a one-year reduction after she admitted to the offence.
According to her statement from the AIU, the 21-year-old said she was injected by an unknown person.
“On 13 September 2024, the Athlete attended an interview with AIU representatives and, in summary, explained that she had been injected with an unknown substance by an unknown individual on 20 July 2024. The Athlete admitted the Anti-Doping Rule Violations in interview,” said the statement from the AIU.
The AIU received an admission of the violation on September 22, and consequently, the three year ban was implemented.
Chepkoech competed in the 10,000m at the Kenyan Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon mid this year and finished eighth.
She claimed the Women’s 5,000 meters title at the AK Weekend Meeting in January, triumphed in the Castellón 10K in Spain in February, and most recently won the TD Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race in the United States in August.
