World Championship is finally over so let's turn our attention to some doping rumors...
1. Diana Kipyokei, winner of Boston Marathon in 2021
There seems to be something going on with Kipyokei after her Boston win. Rumor has it that a lot of "good stuff" was found in her house. First heard this in late 2021 but have not seen any news in any media to this date! Almost 100% sure something is up there (but can't say for sure if that's a rule violation):
- Heard this while I was in Iten late 2021 and people there (runner or not) knew she was caught
- Really suspicious that she did not come back to defend her title in 2022 Boston and did not see anything saying she was injured
- It wouldn't surprise me if there is a cover up of her case given how long since the rumor broke out. Logically it also makes a lot of sense to cover it up. People all know Kenya is one of the "most likely doping" country and a reigning Boston champion got busted would be a huge blow to its already bad reputation. And if, say Kenyan Anti-Doping Agency, covers it up, Kipyokei would probably still gets her prize money from B.A.A while Kenya ADA could also get a decent "cover up fee".
I remember letsrun did an interview with her former agent before 2022 Boston Marathon and her agent said "she was waiting for a decision". WTF is that decision and when can we hear about it??
@wejo @rojo @J.G please reach out to B.A.A, World Athletics, AIU and get a official statement from Athletics Kenya or their anti-doping agency.
2. Victor Kipchirchir ROTICH, winner of Eldoret Marathon in 2021 and 2022
Rumor says he tested positive during Eldoret marathon in 2021 but "somehow" got away with it. Heard this from only one person so not sure how reliable it is. However, if it's true I wouldn't be surprised that there is a cover up going on. A big question mark here is that, if he is caught, how come they let him race outside of Kenya? Or does Athletics Kenya only prohibit dopers from going to major championships but not international marathons?
This might not be interesting to many since Eldoret Marathon is probably the biggest wins of his career but this race offers huge prize money (3.5 million Kshs, roughly 30,000 USD). Imagine what shape you have to be in to run 2:08:56 at 2100m altitute on a hilly course in 2021 with a PB of only 2:07:39 from 2016. And his results in the marathon are all over the place: some around 2:10 in 2014 and 2015 but also many 2:15+ since 2017. His half marathon PB also came in 2021, 3 months after winning Eldoret marathon.
Maybe someone can dig a little deeper and see how many tests were done on him and reach out to the anti-doping agency to get a statement.
3. Replacements in the Kenya team for African Championship.
Some guys and/or ladies made the Kenya team in the distance events for African Championship but ended up not going due to positive tests but I don't see any suspension published either by AIU or Kenyan anti-doping agency yet.
This is the original roster and here are the results...
Time for letsrun to dig deep and discover the truth and help make our sports clean!