Kenyan Marathon Runner Kalalei Gets 4-year Ban for Doping

Kenyan marathon runner Samuel Kalalei has been banned from athletics for four-year after testing positive for blood-boosting hormone EPO.

After testing positive for banned blood-boosting hormone EPO at the Rotterdam Marathon in April, 23-year-old Samuel Kalalei has been banned from athletics for four years.

In Rotterdam, Kalalei ran a PB to finish seventh in the race. He was provisionally suspended from the sport last June, after winning the Athens Marathon in 2017.

Kalalei is the third Kenyan athlete to receive a doping ban this year, the others include former Olympic 1500m gold medallist Asbel Kiprop and Rio 2016 Olympic women’s marathon gold medallist Jemimia Sumgong.

In September, the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) said Kenya had a “serious problem” with doping.

EPO (Erythroprotein) is a glycoprotein secreted by the kidney which stimulates the production of red blood cells in the bone marrow.