Kenya’s Emmaculate Anyango banned for six years over doping

Kenyan cross-country runner Emmaculate Anyango has been banned for six years after testing positive for testosterone and the blood-boosting hormone EPO. The 24-year-old made headlines in January when she became the second woman to complete a 10km race in under 29 minutes, finishing in 28:57 in Valencia. She was provisionally suspended last month.

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) found banned substances in Anyango’s samples from four different tests between February and June 2024. These tests were done at events in Eldoret, Iten, and Kericho. All the samples, analysed by a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) laboratory in Lausanne, tested positive for metabolites of testosterone and EPO. The AIU confirmed the substances were from external sources.

The case began on 3 February 2024, when Anyango provided her first sample during the Sirikwa Classic Cross Country Tour in Eldoret. A second sample was collected on 13 March 2024 in Iten. On 2 June 2024, a third sample was taken in Kericho, followed by a fourth sample and a blood test collected in Iten on 16 June 2024. All these samples tested positive for the banned substances.

Anyango claimed she did not know how the substances got into her body. She said she had fainted several times and had been treated at hospitals in Iten, Eldoret, and Chembulet. She told the AIU that she did not remember what treatments she received because she was unconscious. She provided receipts and X-rays as evidence of her hospital visits. However, the AIU said her documents did not explain the presence of the banned substances.

The AIU gave Anyango several opportunities to respond to the charges. She attended an interview by video conference on 27 September 2024 but failed to meet the deadline to submit an admission form by 7 November 2024. Her failure to cooperate with the investigation resulted in a longer ban.

Anyango’s suspension began on 26 September 2024. All her results since 3 February 2024 have been disqualified.

The AIU said Anyango admitted the substances were in her samples but could not explain how they got there. Her case highlights the ongoing efforts to enforce anti-doping rules in athletics.