Four Kenyan athletes face lengthy doping bans after testing positive for banned substances as the country's revered runners jet into London to begin chasing honors on the Olympic track.
The news come barely two months after a controversial news reports linked Kenyan athletes to doping.
The IAAF confirmed that four of long distance runners will face bans after returning positive doping tests.
Fortunately, none of the four athletes Mathew Kisorio, Ronald Kipchumba, Rael Kiyara and Jemima Jelagat Sumgong are in the Olympics team that arrives in London early Tuesday.
Podissti.net reports that Kisorio, whose time of 58:46 made him the third fastest man over the half marathon returned a positive test for anabolic after the Kenyan championships in June in Nairobi where he raced in the 10,000 meters.
Kisorio a double African junior champion in the 5 000 and 10 000 in 2007 the same year he won the bronze at the world cross -country (junior event).
Kisorio finished fourth at the World cross country championships and most recently was 10th at the Boston Marathon this year.
Kipchumba is the 3000 junior world champion hurdles in 2004 in Grosseto and tested positive after the marathon of Linz, with traces of EPO in the blood.
Kiyara who ran 2:23:47 marathon in Hamburg also tested positive for steroids alongiside Sumgong second in Boston this year 2:31.52 and winner of the Castellón and Las Vegas Marathons.
Sungong holds a personal best of 2:28:32. The IAAF on Wednesday announced that nine athletes, who had been involved in "sophisticated doping" but it is not clear whether the Kenyan tests were detected as a result of the new 'biological passport’ tests.
In June, Kenyan athletics administrators vehemently condemned TV reports that linked its athletes to the doping tests but it now it remains to be seen how these report will impact team Kenya as they take to Olympic track.
Sportsnewsarena Correspondent
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