Veteran Kenyan runner Beatrice Jelangat Cherop has been hit with a ban by the World Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) after admitting to using banned substances.
In an official statement on Tuesday, December 3, the AIU revealed that Cherop had tested positive for Triamcinolone acetonide.
Triamcinolone acetonide, which is typically used to treat a variety of skin conditions, is classified as an S9 glucocorticoid in the 2014 Prohibited List published by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
“It is a Specified Substance prohibited In-Competition when administered by any injectable, oral3 or rectal route.” AIU’s statement read.
FROM LEFT: FM Women Open Podium – Standard Chartered’s Martin Ong, Truphena Chepchirchir, Beatrice Jelagat Cherop and Sheila Jepkosgei Chesang. PHOTO/ Sun.
On October 6, Cherop underwent a routine drug test in the build-up to the Standard Chartered marathon in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia.
A month later, on November 3, 2024, the presence of Triamcinolone acetonide was found in her urine sample at a World Anti-Doping Agency (“WADA”) laboratory in Doha, Qatar.
As a result of the positive result, Cherop was effectively banned for two years from November 27, which was the same date the AIU received an Admission of Anti-Doping Rule Violations and Acceptance of Consequences Form signed by Cherop.
Notably, this is the first violation of anti-doping rules by Cherop. Since the AIU established that Cherop did not deliberately violate the anti-doping rules, she was slapped with a two-year ban, which is a fairly lenient sanction.
One year before her ban, Cherop shone at the Standard Chartered Marathon 2023, smashing the course record for the Full Marathon Women’s Open category.
At the time, Cherop erased the previous mark of 2:34:37 set in 2011 by Rose Kerubo Nyangacha by more than 1.5 minutes after recording a time of 2:32:51.
Dig deeper: In recent months, Kenya has grappled with the worrying trend of athletes testing positive for banned substances, thus hampering their promising careers.
In September 2024, Faith Chepkoech, a 21-year-old rising star in Kenyan athletics, was handed a three-year ban by the World Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) after admitting to using banned substances.
During an interview with AIU officials on 13 September 2024, Chepkoech revealed she had been injected with the unknown substance by an individual she could not identify days before her test.
A month later, Emmacutale Anyango was suspended indefinitely after testing positive for high levels of testosterone.
A track field in Japan
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JAPANESE OLYMPIC COMMITTEE