Many years ago, I denied there was a doping culture in Kenya, because NEVER I heard some athlete asking for some supplement (I speak of a period between 1998 and 2010).
After that period, suddenly doctors not knowing athletes and coaches started to follow the local road races (that became more and more numerous), where there were prizes in money, contacting athletes of third level (because the best of course were not interested in local road races) and proposing to take some "supplement" in order to improve their positions in the races winning some more money. These doctors (Kenyan, not European) asked for the same percentage of managers (15%) on the prize money, and the culture of doping started to become more wide.
In 2012, I went personally to the chairman Isaiah Kiplagat, explaining something about this behavior. Particularly, I informed him of something that happened during a local HM in Baringo : a unknown person went to Patrick Sang, asking "are you a coach ?", so clearly showing he didn't know anything about athletics, because Patrick is the most known person in all Kenya about our sport, and when Patrick answered "yes" that person spoke with him about the possibility to give some substance "for running faster". Of course, Patrick sent him to the hell, and two days later, when we met on the track, talked to me about all the story.
The answer of Kiplagat was "Mzungu, it's not your problem, let we solve our situations", and the solution was to deny everything, not to face the reality.
After that period, I never denied that doped existed. What I denied, is that :
1) Who were involved were, mainly, the top athletes
2) The effectiveness of doping on the performances
These two my statements were based on my experience : some of my athletes was able to better WR and to win WCh staying at the top, training in complete clean way, without using any supplement (also legal). And the same thing happened with athletes of other coaches (like all the group of Patrick Sang leaded by Eliud Kipchoge, or the small group coached by Brother Colm including Rudisha, Augustin Choge and Isaac Songok) showing that athletes well educated didn't have in their mind the idea of doping, and, because were at the top, we didn't think (not only me, but also Patrick and Brother Colm) that the blood doping could produce amazing improvements.
The question is : How many athletes are coached in groups were there is a coach "Educator" ?
The reality is that too many are without somebody educating them to a right way to train, to live and to understand ethical problems.
Doping is something considered like the "last beach", in many cases, and we need to look at every situation in different way.
For example, Lucy Kabuu was caught for.... MORPHYN ! I think she is the first athletes in the world, in every event, doped with morphin. Somebody can suppose she has at her shoulders the best scientists in the world, or probably was some medication she had for some problem, without knowing could be doping ? We speak about an athlete who was managed by Ricky Simms at the beginning of her career, living the most part of her time in Japan, who when 19 ran in 2003 the National Record for a junior in 10000m with 31'06", who was 4th in WHMCh 2004, who was in the Olympic final in 2004, who was 5th in the OG 2008 when ran 30'39", who had a baby soon after, that changed management in 2011 going to Gianni Demadonna for starting marathon, that was coached by myself for more than one year from September 2011 till the summer of 2012, that ran her first marathon when coached by myself in 2:19:34 in 2012, that had big problems with the husband, that divorced, that quitted running, and after two years without running came back this year at 34 years of age, with a marathon in Milan in 2:27:02.
Do you think this is the portrait of a "DOPED ATHLETE" like behavior from her beginning, or probably the result of some mistake due to specific ignorance (probably not only from herself, but from the doctor and the pharmacist too ?).
What I can't accept is the GENERALIZATION. If you take something that can't improve the performance (such as the morphyn, that can be usefull for people who don't have to move, like shooters), the most part of times is not because you want to enhance the performance, but because you have some problem and you, your doctor and your pharmacist ignore the list of illegal substances, because are not involved in the sport.
I repeat again : when people can accept FACTS that I can produce, without thinking I'm a liar, we can start to discuss IF EPO can work or not. The only persons not looking at facts, but having FAITH in the effect of EPO, are people here in LR.
The fact Kalalei took EPO is clear, such as the FACT that, supposing EPO works, this was the support for becoming n. 161 in Kenya. We can't look at this, for thinking that all the other 160 (among them there are 3 other athletes already banned for doping, that means 4 athletes in top 161, that is about 2.5 % of athletes) are also doped.
What I can't accept is the IDEA that is not possible to run fast WITHOUT DOPING, because is a FACT that I coached, and Iknow athletes coached by other coaches, who are WR holders completely clean.
What I can't accept is that the IDEA, in the sick mind of many posters, BECOMES A FACT.
It's possible running WR clean. Accept this possibility, and after we can start to discuss IF, and HOW MUCH, and WHEN, eventually EPO can really enhance ALL the performances.