Paris (AFP)
Kenyan marathon runner Wilson Kipsang, former Olympic bronze medalist and ex-world record holder, has been suspended for four years for "forgery" and "localization defect" for doping controls, the Unit announced on Friday. integrity of athletics (IAU).
The sanction takes effect from January 10, 2020, the IAU said in a press release.
In addition to location errors, Kipsang was found guilty of "providing false evidence and testimony" by the IAU.
Wilson Kipsang, 38, has a very solid marathon track record. In addition to his 3rd place at the London Olympics in 2012, he has twice won the London Marathon (2012, 2014), the New York Marathon (2014) and that of Berlin (2013). He also broke the world record in 2013 in 2 h 3 min 23 sec.
It is a new blow for Kenyan athletics, which has been plagued by doping. In 2016, the country narrowly escaped humiliation, obtaining only the right to participate in the Rio Games only in extremis, after adopting an anti-doping law which provides for criminal sanctions against doped athletes and suppliers of banned products .
Some big names have fallen recently, such as in 2017 Jemima Sumgong, Olympic marathon champion in Rio, or the following year Asbel Kiprop, Olympic champion in the 1,500 m in 2008 and three-time world champion.
Abraham Kiptum, a former half-marathon world record holder, was suspended from him for four years in November 2019 for irregularities in his biological passport. Daniel Kinyua, winner of the London Marathon in 2017, was temporarily suspended in April for the same reason.
© 2020 AFP