Kenyan marathoner, Agnes Barsosio slapped with a 5-year ban

The Athletics Integrity Unit has banned Kenya’s Agnes Barsosio for inconsistencies in her Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) following blood tests conducted on her over nine years.

AIU’s statement Revealed that the inaugural Nairobi marathon winner used a prohibited substance blood-boosting substance.

They assert that they recorded this on the athlete’s biological passport, which is a mechanism used to detect signs of doping in an athlete’s blood system.

The offence carries a four-year eligibility period, but Barsosio will face an additional one-year penalty due to the severity of the violation.

The ruling issued on September 6 of this year officially initiated the ban.

As a result, authorities have nullified her achievements from May 9, 2022, including her victory in the Nairobi City Marathon, and they expect her to forfeit the Sh6 million prize money she earned.

This suspension could effectively mark the conclusion of her athletic career.

She is currently 41 years old and she will be 46 by the time the suspension period concludes.

According to the (AIU), they collected a total of 12 blood samples from the athlete between July 10, 2013, and November 30, 2022.

“Following the review of the Passport by Articles C.3 and C.4 of the ISRM,

“The Expert Panel identified abnormalities in the blood samples as features of blood manipulation in preparation for competition,

“in particular, variations in blood samples collected in May 2022 (shortly following the Athlete’s participation in a marathon in Nairobi, Kenya), August 2022, and late October and early November 2022 (within two weeks of a planned marathon competition).”

“The Expert Panel confirmed their unanimous opinion of “Likely Doping” in the Athlete’s case in a Joint Expert Panel Opinion dated 23 April 2023 (the “First Joint Opinion”).”

The AIU informed the 41-year-old athlete of the findings upon notifying her of the charges on May 4, 2023.