Eliud Kipchoge's 28-Year-Old Training Partner Banned For Doping
Kwemoi, a rising star in road running, had represented Kenya in numerous events, including the World Championships and the Commonwealth Games.
Prudence Murithi 
Former World Under-20 champion Rodgers Kwemoi has been handed a six-year suspension after the Istanbul Half Marathon winner was found guilty of breaching anti-doping rules, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) announced on Friday.
Kwemoi, a rising star in road running, had represented Kenya in numerous events, including the World Championships and the Commonwealth Games.
The AIU in a statement disclosed that Kwemoi was informed about irregularities in his Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) profile and warned of potential charges.
However, he failed to respond within the specified timeframe, leading to strict sanctions from the doping authorities.
Former World Under-20 champion Rodgers Kwemoi during a past race. /FILE
The ban will be retroactive to August 8, 2023, and Kwemoi’s competition results from July 18, 2016, to August 8, 2023, will be annulled.
The Japan-based athlete will forfeit the Istanbul Half Marathon title, his 2018 Commonwealth Games bronze medal, and his 2016 World Under-20 Championship gold in the 10,000m.
“All the athlete’s results obtained since 18 July 2016 until the date that the provisional suspension was imposed are disqualified pursuant to Rules 9, 10.1, and 10.10 of the 2021 Anti-Doping Rules, with all resulting consequences including the forfeiture of any titles, awards, medals, points, prizes, and prize and appearance money,” the AIU statement read.
The AIU stated that in May last year, they informed Kwemoi of the irregularities in his ABP profile and considered bringing charges against him. He was invited to explain the discrepancies but did not respond within the deadline.
Kwemoi later argued that the irregularities were due to natural variations influenced by changes in climate, altitude, and other environmental factors. However, the panel rejected his explanation.
Despite this, he insisted that the AIU's explanation was insufficient to conclude that he violated anti-doping rules.
According to the AIU, inconsistencies in the Japan-based runner’s samples were noted before the 2016 World Under-20 Championships, leading to the ruling that his ban started from that time, disqualifying his results since then.
The disciplinary tribunal's decision indicated that Kwemoi engaged in a deliberate, systematic, and sophisticated doping scheme, which would not have been feasible without intentional effort and expert assistance.
Kwemoi rose to prominence in 2016 by defeating Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo to win gold in the World Under-20 Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland. He later secured a bronze medal as a Commonwealth debutant in 2018. He finished fourth in the 2019 World Championships and seventh in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
The 28-year-old athlete is part of the Kogyo Corporate team in Japan but splits his time between Kogyo and the Global Communication camp in Kaptagat, Kenya under coach Patrick Sang.
This is notably the same training camp where global superstars Eliud Kipchoge, Faith Kipyegon, and Geoffrey Kamworor train.
He may challenge the decision through an appeal made to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
