Kenya's Rhonex Kipruto Banned for Six Years for Doping Violation, Loses World Records and Medals

Nairobi, Kwnya— Kenyan long-distance runner Rhonex Kipruto has been handed a six-year ban by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) for doping, it was announced on Wednesday. As a result, Kipruto, 24, will be stripped of his 10-kilometer road race world record and his bronze medal from the World Championships.

The AIU provisionally suspended Kipruto in May of last year following an anti-doping violation. The ban, which will keep him out of competition until May 2029, follows a Disciplinary Tribunal’s ruling that identified irregularities in Kipruto's Athlete Biological Passport (ABP). The ABP revealed discrepancies that strongly suggested doping.

"The Tribunal rejected Kipruto's defense, concluding the 'cause for the abnormalities in the ABP is more likely to be due to blood manipulation' such as through the use of recombinant human erythropoietin (rEPO)," the AIU stated. The organization added that there was no other plausible explanation for the abnormal values recorded in Kipruto’s biological data.

Kipruto, who denied the Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) charge, claimed innocence throughout the investigation. However, the panel was "comfortably satisfied" that he had been engaged in a "deliberate and sophisticated doping regime over a long period of time."

Kipruto's achievements, including breaking the 10km road race world record in Valencia in 2020 and winning the 10,000 meters at the Stockholm Diamond League in 2019, will now be annulled. His bronze medal from the 2019 World Championships in Doha will also be forfeited.

Despite the ruling, Kipruto retains the right to appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

This ban marks a significant setback for Kipruto, who was once considered one of the most promising talents in long-distance running. The AIU’s stringent measures continue to underscore the sport's commitment to maintaining integrity and fairness in athletics.