Rita Jeptoo’s Tarnished Crown: Kenya's Marathon Queen Fails Second Doping Test; She Joins Dozens of Her Corrupt, Disgraced, Kenyan Countrymen

 

Kenyan marathon runner Rita Jeptoo arrives at the Athletics Kenya offices for a board meeting in Nairobi November 4, 2014. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya
 

Re-posted by Nicholas Stix

Thanks to reader-researcher RC for this story.
 

Kenya's marathon queen Jeptoo fails second doping test
By James Macharia
Reuters
21 hrs ago (22:07:17)
Reuters

Kenyan Rita Jeptoo, winner of the Boston and Chicago marathons for the last two years, has tested positive for a banned substance in a B sample taken after she failed an out-of-competition check in September.

"The results of the analysis of the B sample which was conducted on 17th to 19th December 2014 at the WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency} [sic] accredited laboratory of Lausanne confirmed the finding of the A sample," Athletics Kenya said in a statement on Friday.

Jeptoo, provisionally suspended from athletics after the A sample tested positive, had asked for a B check. She told reporters at the time that the accusation was false.

Dozens of Kenyan athletes have failed doping tests in the past two years.
 

Happier times: A triumphant Jeptoo at the 2013 Boston Marathon finish line
 

Government officials have blamed the growing amount of cases on foreign agents and Athletics Kenya's failure to educate its sportsmen and women properly.

The country's triple world 3,000 meters steeplechase champion Moses Kiptanui has called for tough sanctions against those who fail doping tests, saying "big money" was behind the cheating.

(Writing by James Macharia, editing by Tony Jimenez)