Kenya’s Faith Chepkoech is the latest athlete to be handed a ban over an anti-doping rule violation after she admitted to using banned substance EPO.
Chepkoech is set to serve a three-year suspension after accepting that she was culpable, having initially denied any use of the banned substance.
On July 26, 24, Chepkoech’s urine sample tested positive for blood booster EPO (Erythropoietin) during an out of competition test conducted in Iten, Elegeyo Marakwet County and she was handed a provisional suspension on September 6, pending the conclusion of her case.
The Anti-doping Agency of Kenya chairman Daniel Makdwallo has pleaded with the relevant authorities to give more funding to the agency to ensure they resume operations as a sanction looms.
During her a meeting with officials from the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), she claimed that she had been injected with an unidentified substance prior to the test but struggled to prove her case and on September 22, she signed an Admission of Anti-Doping Rule Violations and Acceptance of Consequences form.
The admission of guilt saw her ban reduced from four years to three, effective September 6 the date for her provisional suspension, with her competitive results from July 24 nullified.
The 21-year-old was an upcoming long-distance runner for Kenya after winning three races in 2024; being the AK Track & Field Weekend Meeting in January where she claimed the 5,000m title before winning the Castellon 10K in Spain in February.
ADAK were allocated 650 million shillings in 2022 to cater for the fight against doping in 2022, yet claim that they have only been granted 20 million shillings for the 2024/2025 financial year
Chepkoech also won the TD Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race in the United States in August, a result that is now null and void, this coming after she had featured at the Prefontaine Classic in May.
In the race, which served as Kenya’s 10,000m Olympics trials in Eugene, Oregon, Chepkoech finished eighth after clocking 30:22.77 as compatriot Beatrice Chebet broke the world record as she claimed victory.