Kenyan athlete handed second doping ban

Kenyan track and field athlete Lilian Mariita has received an eight-year sanction for her second anti-doping rule violation.

Johannesburg - The United States Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) has announced that Kenyan track and field athlete Lilian Mariita, previously residing in Hebron, Kentucky, has received an eight-year sanction for her second anti-doping rule violation.

Mariita, 26, tested positive for an anabolic agent as the result of an in-competition sample collected on July 4, 2015 at the Great Buffalo Chase 5K run in Frankfort, Kentucky.

Doping has been a major problem for Kenyan athletics, with the country banning seven of its competitors in November, including Mariita.

Among those suspended were double world cross country champion and Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Emily Chebet, 400m runner Joyce Zakary and 400m hurdler Koki Manunga. The number of Kenyans banned for drugs offences is now thought to be close to 50.

Anabolic Agents are prohibited under the Usada Protocol for Olympic and Paralympic Movement Testing and the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Anti-Doping Rules, both of which have adopted the World Anti-Doping Code and the World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List. Mariita's eight-year sanction began on August 14, 2015, the day she received notice of a provisional suspension.

As a result of the sanction, Mariita is disqualified from all competitive results obtained on and subsequent to July 4, 2015, the date of her sample collection, including forfeiture of any medals, points, and prizes.

Mariita received an eight-year sanction due to this being her second anti-doping rule violation. She was previously sanctioned by Athletics Kenya for an adverse analytical finding for EPO.

Usada is responsible for the testing and results management process for athletes in the US Olympic and Paralympic Movement, and is equally dedicated to preserving the integrity of sport through research initiatives and educational programmes. - African News Agency (ANA)