Home > The Scene

Former marathon world record-holder Wilson Kipsang receives 4-year doping ban

The former marathon world record-holder was suspended for whereabouts failures in January 2020

The 2012 Olympic bronze medallist in the marathon and former world record-holder Wilson Kipsang of Kenya has been banned from competition for four years following a series of whereabouts failures, the Athletics Integrity Unit announced Friday. The ban is effective as of January 10, 2020, when Kipsang was provisionally suspended pending an investigation.

Wilson Kipsang
Kipsang in 2017. Photo: @Sub2hrs.

RELATED: Top-10 finisher at Toronto Waterfront Marathon given 12-year doping ban

Kipsang, 38, had four whereabouts failures in the period between April 2018 and May 2019, the AIU stated, in addition to providing false evidence in the form of a fake photograph of an overturned truck, in an attempt to explain why he missed a test. Three whereabouts failures in a 12-month period usually results in an automatic ban from competition.

This was not the first time Kipsang had been in trouble for missing doping tests. His first missed test happened in late 2013, and he was summoned to a meeting with Athletics Kenya a few months later.

Wilson Kipsang sets a new World Record

Kipsang set a world record in 2013 at the Berlin Marathon, in 2:03:23. He bettered his PB in 2016, also in Berlin, finishing in 2:03:13, second behind Kenenisa Bekele. Kipsang also finished third at the 2018 Berlin Marathon, when Eliud Kipchoge set the current official world record at 2:01:39, and he is a two-time winner of the London Marathon (in 2012 and 2014). 

Check out the latest buyer's guide:

The best trainers in Canada under $150

We curated the best performance trainers under $150 to meet your 2024 running goals, while staying on budget