7 Kenyans among latest athletes banned by Integrity Unit

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has published the latest list of athletes who have been banned for doping and non-doping violations.

The Kenyan athletes banned are Brenda Chebet, Agnes Mumbua, Mathew Sawe, Zena Chemutai, Hannah Wairimu, Cynthia Kendi, and Eliud Kibet.

Mumbua, Kibet, and Sawe have been sanctioned for four years, and their ban will expire in 2026. Wairimu, Kendi, and Brenda have been banned each for three years while Chemutai’s ban will run for one year.

Heartbreak for Chebet

Chebet, 19, is the youngest of the athletes on the latest list and has shown signs of a promising future given how she has performed in the previous assignments.

At the African Championship held in Mauritius last year, she finished fourth in the 1500m before a six-place finish in the 800m final.

At the 2022 World Athletics U20 Championship in Colombia, she won a silver medal after running a personal best of 4:04.64.

She was a gold winner at the 2023 World Athletics Cross Country Championships, held in Bathurst, Australia, in the mixed relay race. The Kenyan team, which also had Emmanuel Wanyonyi, Mirriam Cherop, and Kyumbe Munguti, completed the course in 23:14.

Kibet, born in 1987, participated at the 2004 World Cross Country Championships, where he finished sixth in the short race and was on the Kenyan team that won the bronze medal in the team competition.

Sawe holds a personal best of 2.30m (7 ft 6 1/2 in), which is the Kenyan record in high jump. He won the national trials with a national record height before winning gold at the 2016 African Championships in Athletics, making him the first Kenyan to win that title.