Olympic marathon champ Sumgong banned for eight years for doping

Rio Olympic marathon champion Jemimah Sumgong may never return to active competition after her four-year ban was doubled to eight on Friday.

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Disciplinary Tribunal confirmed on Friday that the 34-year-old lied under oath and falsified hospital records after she claimed she was taking erythropoietin (EPO) for an ectopic pregnancy, reports Xinhua news agency.

In 2017, Sumgong told a Kenyan law court that she was given the banned substance at the Kenyatta National Hospital, the country's biggest hospital, but her paperwork was deemed to have been provided by "an imposter" and her claims labelled as "not authentic."

"The IAAF Disciplinary Tribunal has banned the reigning Olympic women's marathon champion Jemimah Sumgong for eight years starting January 17, 2019," a statement from the IAAF Tribunal signed by chairman Michael Beloff said.

With the ban expected to end in 2027, Sumgong may never run again competitively. However, Sumgong will not be disqualified as the Olympic champion or have any other results withdrawn.

"The athlete has been subject to a period of ineligibility for the first offence since April 3, 2017. There are therefore no results to be disqualified in relation to this," Beloff said.

The Kenyan was tested positive for recombinant erythropoietin (r-EPO) during an out-of-competition test conducted in 2017 in Kapsabet before she went on to provide fraudulent medical information during her first-instance disciplinary proceedings.

--IANS

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