Kenyan Benard Kibet Koech received a four-year ban for doping, as announced this Thursday by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU).
Kenyan athlete Benard Kibet Koech, fifth at the Paris Olympics in the 10,000m, has been suspended for four years for doping, until June 2029, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) announced on Thursday. “The AIU suspended Benard Kibet Koech (Kenya) for four years from June 10, 2025 for use of a prohibited substance or method”writes the AIU in a press release, specifying that the case results from anomalies noted on the biological passport of the Kenyan founder. The biological passport allows monitoring of selected biological variables over time.
Fifth in the 10,000 m at the Paris Olympics, won by Ugandan Joshua Cheptegei, Koech, 26, also finished 5th at the Budapest Worlds over the distance in 2023 and holds the best performance of all time in the 10 miles (44:04), a non-Olympic distance.
Skip the ad
Results obtained between June 26, 2024 and June 10, 2025 canceled
Provisionally suspended last June, he denied any violation of anti-doping rules and requested an examination before a disciplinary tribunal, which confirmed that “longitudinal analysis of hematological data demonstrates that it is more likely that these abnormalities are attributable to blood manipulation than to physiological and environmental factors put forward by the athlete”. All results obtained by the Kenyan between June 26, 2024 (including his 5th place at Paris 2024) and June 10, 2025 (date of his provisional suspension) are also canceled.
