French Olympic marathoner fails drug test

The winner of the 2013 Daegu and Istanbul marathons has tested positive for EPO.

Abraham Kiprotich, a Kenyan-born Frenchman, gained citizenship after serving in the French Foreign Legion. He competed for France in the 2012 Olympic marathon in London, but failed to finish.

Kiprotich was a steeplechaser until moving up to the marathon in 2012, when he ran 2:08:35 in Duesseldorf, followed up by a 2:08:33 win in Deagu last spring.

Only Kiprotich’s A-sample has been confirmed to have failed the test. When an athlete’s A-sample fails a drug test authorities then test another sample, the B-sample, taken from the same competition or test. It is unclear when these samples were collected.

French sports newspaper L’Equipe claims the test is not a surprise, as the runner is alleged to have raced in Korea while on a 15-day suspension for missing a drug test.