The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) on Thursday, in its war against doping, gave Kenya’s Salome Jerono Biwott an eight-year ban from all competitions.
Biwott failed the anti-doping test after her urine sample tested positive for norandrosterone, a substance that is prohibited under the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code.
In a statement, “the AIU confirms a period of ineligibility of eight years commencing on June 5, 2019 for the athlete’s second violation of the anti-doping regulation.
The athlete’s results since April 7, 2019 is disqualified with all resulting consequences including the forfeiture of any titles, awards, medals, points, prize and appearance money paid to her,” the AIU said in a statement.
In her defence, which was rejected by AIU, Biwott had said she had received an injection of Depo-Provera (Medroxyprogesterone) two weeks prior to the race in Brazil.
She also declined to request an analysis of the B Sample.
The AIU informed Jerono that her explanation did not account for the presence of norandrosterone in her sample and charged her with committing a second Anti-Doping Rule Violation.
The number of elite Kenyan athletes who have been reprimanded by the AIU for use of banned substances in the last three months alone now stands at six.
Others are world half marathon record holder Abraham Kiptum, Cyrus Rutto and Felix Kirwa.
