Summary
– Kenyan runner Rhonex Kipruto stripped of 10k road record.
– Banned for six years in doping case.
– Abnormalities in blood samples indicate sophisticated doping.
– Ban extended due to aggravating circumstances.
– Disqualified from results since September 2018.
Kenyan runner Rhonex Kipruto has been stripped of his world record in men’s 10-kilometer road racing and banned for six years in a doping case.
A disciplinary panel ruled that abnormalities in Kipruto’s blood samples pointed to “a deliberate and sophisticated doping regime” and Kipruto likely had help from unknown third parties. At the time, he was aiming to qualify for the last Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Cause of Six years ban
The panel imposed a six-year ban because of what it deemed the “aggravating circumstances” in the case, up from a standard four-year doping ban.
Kipruto was disqualified from all of his results since September 2018, meaning he loses a world championship bronze medal in the 10,000 meters from 2019 and his 10k road record from 2020.
That record is set to pass to Ethiopian runner Berihu Aregawi. He ran 26 minutes, 33 seconds in the 10k last year, nine seconds slower than Kipruto’s time.
Kipruto’s Sytem Clean
No banned substance was found in Kipruto’s system and the case rested on data from his biological passport, which tracks athletes’ blood samples over time to detect irregularities and changes that point to blood doping.
The panel said Kipruto’s defense sought to blame illnesses, irregular training habits and his alcohol use, which it said had increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Kipruto also sought to dispute the validity of some blood samples in the case.
A statement on Kipruto’s website dated Tuesday and attributed to unnamed legal counsel indicated he is considering an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. “Despite exhaustive efforts to present comprehensive medical evidence and expert testimonies, the ruling failed to consider crucial aspects of Rhonex’s health and circumstances,” the statement said.
It is the latest in a long series of doping cases involving Kenyan distance runners.
Rhonex Kipruto Profile
Rhonex Kipruto (born 12 October 1999) is a Kenyan long-distance runner. He won the bronze medal in the 10,000 metres at the 2019 World Athletics Championships.
Kipruto was the world record holder for the 10 km road race with a time of 26:24, set on 12 January 2020 in Valencia Spain, until he was stripped of that title in June, 2024. He also places third on the half marathon world all-time list.
He was the 2018 World Under-20 10,000 m champion.
On 17 May 2023, Kipruto was provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit for the use of a prohibited substance/method from his athlete biological passport (ABP) data.
On 5 June 2024, the AIU announced that he had been banned for six years, as well as stripped of his men’s 10k world championship and the 2019 World Athletics Championships bronze medal
International competitions
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Result |
| 2018 | World U20 Championships | Tampere, Finland | 1st | 10,000 m | 27:21.08 CR |
| 2019 | World Cross Country Championships | Aarhus, Denmark | 6th | Senior race | 32:17 |
| 2nd | Senior team | 43 pts | |||
| World Championships | Doha, Qatar | 3rd | 10,000 m | 26:50.32 | |
| 2021 | Olympic Games | Tokyo, Japan | 9th | 10,000 m | 27:52.78 |
Personal bests
| Surface | Distance | Time (m:s) | Location | Date | Notes |
| Track | 3000 metres | 7:48.08 | Cambridge, MA, USA | 19 May 2018 | |
| 5000 metres | 13:07.40 | London, United Kingdom | 20 July 2019 | ||
| 10,000 metres | 26:50.16 | Stockholm, Sweden | 30 May 2019 | ||
| Road | 5 kilometres | 13:18 | Valencia, Spain | 12 January 2020 | |
| 10 kilometres | 26:24 | Valencia, Spain | 12 January 2020 | World record | |
| Half marathon | 57:49 | Valencia, Spain | 6 December 2020 | 3rd athlete all time |
