Rhonex Kipruto Receives Six-Year Ban Over ABP Irregularities

Rhonex Kipruto, Kenya’s 10km road race world record holder has been banned for six years due to irregularities found in his Athlete Biological Passport (ABP). The 24-year-old will lose his 2020 Valencia record and the 10,000m bronze medal from the 2019 World Championships. The authorities began Kipruto’s ban with his provisional suspension on May 11, 2023, and it will extend until May 2029. This six-year period significantly sets back Kipruto’s athletic career, effectively sidelining him from competitive running until his suspension concludes.

The Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) continuously monitors an athlete’s biomarkers over time, generating a comprehensive profile of their biological data. Officials detect doping through changes in markers, alerting to possible rule violations. “The Tribunal rejected Kipruto’s defense, concluding that the abnormalities in the ABP were likely due to blood manipulation, such as the use of recombinant human erythropoietin (rEPO),” stated the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) which imposed the ban. The AIU added that there was “no other plausible explanation” for the abnormal values.

The disciplinary panel expressed it was “comfortably satisfied” that Kipruto had committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV). Rhonex Kipruto has the option to appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. This avenue allows him to challenge the ban and potentially overturn the ruling against him.