World renowned pace setter James Mwangi Wangari has been provisionally suspended for being found with testosterone, a banned substance in Sports under Article 2.1.
Before 2016 the 24 year-old was an unknown figure but he stunned the world when he was designated as a rabbit, found the legs to carry him all the way to the tape in smashing the old record that had been set by World Half and World Cross silver medallist, Bedan Karoki.
Wangari then 22, ran with a vicious pace and was under world record pace through 10kmand 15km in world-leading marks of 27:15 and 41:32 but slowed in the lastquarter which was largely run into a headwind.
Wangari who is under the stable Rosa Associati beat off a strong field that included Stephen Kosgei Kibet (59:28) and Albert Kangogo (59:29) rounding the podium as Abraham Kiptum (59:36), Edwin Kipsang Rotich (59:54), Geoffrey Yegon (60:26)and Alex Oloitiptip Korio (60:33)
This will add to over 50 Kenyan athletes that have tested positive for doping since2012, and in 2015 the country was deemed “non-compliant” by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), only to be reinstated before the Rio Olympics.
Together with Ukraine, Ethiopia, Venezuela and Morocco, Kenya has been deemed one of the countries whose athletes are most likely to dope.
This means its athletes will have to pass stringent testing before being allowed to compete in the Olympics, World Championships and major city marathons.
Source: Athletics.co.ke