Paris 2024: Doping crisis casts shadow on Kenya’s Olympic hopes

Kenya’s renowned distance runners are heading to the Paris 2024 Olympics under a cloud of doping scandals that have marred the country’s track and field reputation. Marathon runner Beatrice Toroitich became the latest Kenyan athlete to fall afoul of anti-doping rules last month, receiving a lifetime ban following her third positive drug test.

This follows the six-year bans handed to world 10km road race record holder Rhonex Kipruto in June and long-distance runner Rodgers Kwemoi in May for anti-doping violations. Since 2017, nearly 100 Kenyan athletes, predominantly long-distance runners, have been sanctioned for drug offenses. This sweeping crackdown is led by the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) in response to doping scandals at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

“Kenya is making big strides in the fight against doping,” ADAK chief executive Sarah Shibutse told AFP. “We’re not relenting in this fight at the heart of our national pride.”

Kenyan athletes competing in Paris have undergone a rigorous testing regime, with three out-of-competition tests in the 10 months leading up to the Olympics. ADAK has enlisted the support of the independent Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), the Kenyan sports ministry, and law enforcement to aid in the investigation and testing of athletes.

This collaborative effort has led to the closure of several pharmacies in the Rift Valley, the heartland of Kenyan distance running, suspected of supplying performance-enhancing drugs to athletes. Testing has intensified dramatically, with 2,000 tests conducted in the past year. ADAK aims to triple that number to 6,000 per year.

Shibutse emphasised that the increased volume of tests will continue until athletes understand the necessity of this stringent testing for their own good. “We are having more samples being collected, which means more positive doping cases are being detected than before. This is a sign that the process is working,” Shibutse said.

During a fact-finding trip to Kenya in March 2023, AIU chief Brett Clothier warned that athletes should brace for tougher action against drug use. “One thing that everyone should be aware of is that with more testing, more cases will be reported, but that doesn’t mean more doping. That is coming, but it is the pathway to address this problem once and for all,” Clothier said.

ADAK’s head of anti-doping education and research, Martin Sisa Yauma, noted the effective use of the Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) in tracking athletes’ blood values over time to catch recent dopers, including Kipruto, world junior 10,000m champion Rodgers Kwemoi, and former Commonwealth and African 10,000m champion Joyce Chepkirui.

For athletes attempting to rebuild their careers after being caught doping, the path back to elite competition is challenging. Former national 100m champion Mark Otieno, who was banned for two years for using the prohibited anabolic steroid Methasterone before the Tokyo Olympics, made a return last November to try to qualify for Paris 2024. “I’m not wishing it [doping ban] to happen to someone else,” said Otieno, after failing to make the Olympic 100m qualifying time of 10.00 seconds.