World record holder Kipruto gets six-year ban after aberration in ABP

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Kenya’s long distance world record holder Rhonex Kipruto has received a six-year ban due to irregularities found in his Athlete Biological Passport.

This means Kipruto will be stripped of his 10km road race record, which he set in Valencia in 2020. Also, the 10,000m bronze medal he won at the 2019 World Championships will be taken from him.

The 24-year-old will be banned until May 2029 after being provisionally suspended on 11 May 2023 for violating anti-doping rules.

An Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) is an electronic record used to track an athlete’s biomarkers during the course of their career. If there are dramatic changes, officials are alerted of possible doping by the athlete.

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“The Tribunal rejected Kipruto’s defence, concluding the ’cause for the abnormalities in the ABP is more likely to be due to blood manipulation’ such as through the use of recombinant human erythropoietin (rEPO),” said the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU).

Kipruto “committed ADRV”

“There was ‘no other plausible explanation’ for the abnormal values.”

Meanwhile, the disciplinary panel stated it was “comfortably satisfied” the athlete had committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV).

Apart from his 10,000m bronze won at the 2019 World Championships, Rhonex Kipruto holds the 10km road race world record.

However, it is not the end of the road for Kipruto. The Kenyan can appeal against the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.