Boston Marathon Women’s Champ Rita Jeptoo Reportedly Failed Drug Test
Kenyan runner Rita Jeptoo — who has three Boston Marathon wins under her belt — has reportedly failed an out-of-comptetition drug test according to RunBlogRun reporter Larry Eder.
As a result of the report, the World Marathon Majors (WMM) has postponed an awards ceremony slated for Sunday when Jeptoo was set to be crowned the WMM’s women’s champion and receive a $500,000 prize after she clinched the title following her marathon victories in Boston and Chicago. Jeptoo’s A sample — taken in Kenya — tested positive for a banned substance in September. Jeptoo’s B sample is now scheduled to be tested to determine her status going forward.
Boston Athletic Association executive director Thomas Grilk told the Boston Globe that Jeptoo passed her drug tests at this year’s Boston Marathon.
“Top finishers at Boston are tested through the procedures established by and are conducted under the auspices of the IAAF. The athlete was tested at Boston, and the IAAF informed us that all tests from this year’s Boston Marathon were negative,’’ Grilk told the Globe Friday.
Jeptoo’s time of 2:18:57 at the Boston Marathon set a new course record in April. Jeptoo also was victorious at Boston in 2006 and 2013.
In a statement released Friday, the WMM expressed their disappointment at the news:
“WMM has always held a stern line on drug cheats and has been proactively supporting the sports governing bodies to ensure the integrity of the athletes competing in their races,’’ said Nick Bitel, General Counsel of the WMM. “Cheats need to understand that they are not welcome in our sport and that they will be caught.
“At present there has been no decision in this case by the IAAF, including in relation to sanctions, and as a result WMM is unable to comment further until that determination has been made although in the circumstances it has been decided to postpone the WMM Awards Ceremony that was due to take place on the 2nd November 2014.’’
The BAA also issued a statement on Friday:
“We will await the issuance of an official statement from the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) before further addressing the matter.
“Top finishers at the Boston Marathon are tested in accordance with the strict guidelines set forth by the IAAF, and the B.A.A. cooperates with all testing procedures and is supportive of the protocol. It is premature for us to provide additional comment at this point.
“Boston has been and continues to be an advocate for strict anti-doping measures along with the other events which comprise the World Marathon Majors.’’
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com