(Reuters) - Kenyan cross country runner Emmaculate Anyango Achol has been provisionally suspended after failing a doping test for the banned drug testosterone and blood-boosting hormone EPO, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said on Friday.
The 24-year-old Anyango became the second woman to complete a 10km race in under 29 minutes (28:57), finishing second behind fellow Kenyan Agnes Jebet Ngetich, who set a world record with a time of 28:46 in Valencia in January.
The provisional ban will stay in place until her case is settled, with a potential four-year suspension if she is found guilty.
Anyango finished fourth at the 2024 World Cross Country Championships, where she helped Kenya win the team gold medal.
Former Boston and Chicago marathon winner Lawrence Cherono was handed a seven-year ban in July having been found to have violated anti-doping regulations.
Rhonex Kipruto, Kenya’s 10km road race record holder, received a six-year doping ban in June, leading to the cancellation of his world record by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU).
Kenya has made substantial investments in its anti-doping efforts. However, over the past three years, around 70 athletes have been punished for violating doping regulations.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said recently it had raised concerns with Kenya's Sports Ministry over the government's nearly 90% cut in the annual operational budget for the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) from the previous year, citing the potential impact on Kenyan athletes.
(Reporting by Shifa Jahan in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)
