Listen to This Article Enhance your reading experience by listening to this article.

Kenyan athlete Agnes’s Jeruto Barsosio has been handed a five-year ban by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) for violating the World Anti-doping rules.

The 40-year-old athlete was found guilty of the use of a Prohibited Substance/Method – specifically an ABP case.

Barsosio who is the 2022 Nairobi City Marathon winner was found with inconsistencies in her Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) following blood tests conducted on her in a nine-year period.

“The AIU has banned Agnes’s Jeruto Barsosio (Kenya) for 5 years, from September 6, 2023, for the use of a Prohibited Substance/Method (ABP case).

DQ results since May 9, 2022,” a statement by AIU read in part. AIU further disclosed that Barsosio used a prohibited blood-boosting substance as recorded on the athlete’s biological passport- a mechanism used to pick up on indications of doping in an athlete’s blood system. According to AIU, the athlete admitted the anti-doping rule violation hence the reduction of a year on her ineligibility period. “The Athlete shall therefore receive a one (1) year reduction in the asserted period of Ineligibility pursuant to Rule 10.8.1 based on an early admission and acceptance of sanction.”

Meanwhile, defending men handball champions in the National League maintained their good start to the season after picking important wins at the weekend.

Men’s champions, National Cereals & Produce Board (NCPB) off Spartans 41-25 in a thrilling game that the former led 22-09 at the break. The match which was full of running saw the winning side have the duo of Robert Maranga and Timothy Kirimi lead the lights with six goals apiece for NCPB.

However, it is Spartans’ Peter Kimani who emerged overall top-scorer with 10 goals to his name. NCPB have now won five of their opening five games and have 10 points in the bag thus enjoying a safe lead.

Spartans on the other hand are in position 23 currently but with three matches in hand thus far. They have lost both their opening two games of the campaign

In another exciting Men’s League match, the eighth-placed Buccaneers saw off the thirteenth-placed Boomerang in a tight match with the former winning 35-33.

Earlier, 16th-placed Desert Scorpions thrashed Boomerang by 55-36. Team Nanyuki on the other hand had a successful outing with two wins. In their first duel on Saturday, the Central-based side beat Spartans 24-23 and 24 hours later, Nanyuki silenced Young City.