Two Kenyan marathoners, Diana Kipyokei and Purity Rionoripo have been banned from athletics for doping.
With this development, about 60 athletes from the country are currently serving suspensions issued by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU).
Kipyokei’s 2021 Boston Marathon title has been annulled and has been banned for six years and Rionoripo who won the Paris Marathon in 2017, has been banned for five years.
The ban for 28-year-old, Kipyokei has been backdated to June 2022, when the AIU suspended her, while her results have been disqualified since the day she provided a urine test following her Boston win in October 2021.
The AIU said in a statement, “That sample returned an adverse analytical finding (AAF) for the presence of a metabolite of triamcinolone acetonide, an anti-inflammatory.
“With investigative assistance from the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya, the AIU discovered that Kipyokei provided false/misleading information in trying to explain her AAF, including fake documentation which she alleged came from a hospital.”
29-year-old Rionoripo was also found to have attempted to have tampered with the evidence against her.
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“In her explanation, she claimed to have been prescribed medication by a doctor at a hospital to treat an ankle injury and presented supporting documentation,” the AIU continued.
“Investigations revealed that though Rionoripo was treated at the hospital, she had altered her prescription form.”
Because she has admitted her guilt, the six-year ban sought by the AIU ire her was reduced by a year and has been backdated to start from 21 November.