Kenyan marathon runner Marius Kipserem has been given a three-year ban from athletics following a doping crime. Marius Kipserem has notably won the Rotterdam Marathon twice, in 2016 and 2019. With his second victory, he set a new course record and personal best of 2:04:11. He also won the 2018 Abu Dhabi Marathon and finished second at the 2016 Eindhoven Marathon. He was also a member of the team that helped pace Eliud Kipchoge for the Ineos 1:59 Challenge in 2019.
According to BBC Sports, the presence of the prohibited substance recombinant erythropoietin (EPO) was found in a sample provided by the 34-year-old in August.
The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said Kipserem had twice denied doping, before then admitting his guilt on 11 October.
A potential four-year sanction for the use of EPO was reduced by a year following his admission.
His sole competitive result since his positive test, a sixth-placed finish at last month’s Sydney Marathon, has been disqualified, and he will forfeit any prize money or appearance fee awarded.
EPO is a man-made version of natural erythropoietin and improves athletic performance by stimulating the production of more red blood cells.
Kenyan athletics has been rocked by much do many cases this year, with 16 athletes from the East severalty being suspended by the AIU for a range of violations.
A further eight Kenyans have been provisionally suspended, with the outcomes of their cases pending.
Kenya was placed in the top category of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s compliance watch list in 2016.
