The Kenyan middle-distance runner Asbel Kiprop has been suspended for doping for four years. This was announced by the Athletics Integrity Unit on Saturday. Accordingly, the lock begins retroactively on 3 February 2018 - at that time the athletics star was suspended for the time being. At the end of 2017, the blood doping agent Epo had been found in a test at Kiprop.
The @iaaforg Disciplinary Tribunal has banned former Olympic and world 1500m champion Asbel Kiprop of Kenya for four-years starting 03 Feb 2018. #CleanSport #antidoping #AIUNews @ADAK_KE @athletics_kenya @SportRes_UK
Find all the details here: https://t.co/cBkQOqSHT4 pic.twitter.com/LYNutaHUvi
Theoretically, Kiprop may run again from February 2022. But for the 29-year-old, the four-year suspension probably marks the end of his career. At the time he will be 32 years old - an age in which runners are rarely successful. Kiprop has won the World Cup three times over the same distance in 2008, in addition to the 2008 Olympic victory over 1500 meters in Beijing three times (2011, 2013 and 2015).
Since 2004, 138 Kenyan athletes have tested positive for doping. Kiprop is one of the most prominent athletes who were convicted. Kiprop did not resist the accusations after his positive test, but nevertheless asserted his innocence. "It makes no sense to continue the fight to clear my name without the support of my managers, my association and the government," Kiprop said in 2018. By his own admission, he could not afford the legal costs of the defense.