Blood testing machine for Kaptagat

Stung by criticism after some of their athletes testing positive for banned substances, the Rosa Associati athletics management stable on Friday launched a new blood testing machine they will use to test their athletes.

Top coach Claudio Berardelli launched the Sh1.5 million machine that will ensure their athletes keep a clean “biological passport” as one on the ways of dealing with the doping menace that has struck Kenyan athletics.

TWO-YEAR BAN

The unveiling of the “MISCROS 60” machine at the Rosa flagship camp in Kaptagat came as Athletics Kenya announced a two-year ban for Chicago and Boston Marathon winner Rita Jeptoo, a member of the Rosa stable.

It also comes in a week the Rosa Associati management is organizing back-to-back “Discovery Kenya” events in Eldoret whose climax is today’s Discovery Kenya Half Marathon that follows last weekend’s Discovery Kenya Cross Country Championships at the Eldoret Sports Club.

Berardelli explained how the Italy-manufactured MISCROS 60 blood testing machine works: “After having capillary blood from a finger, you simply insert the blood sample into the machine, and after a minute, automatically you will get a print out with the results.”

He added that the machine will not only be exclusively available for the Rosa Associati athletes, but also to other management teams and athletes.

“We are more than ready to test whoever will be willing to be tested. We will then send to the federation all the blood results. We are thinking of getting in touch with IAAF too and see if they would like to have a copy of the results.

IAAF is already aware that we are using the machine and they fully support us,” Berardelli added. He said the new machine will go a long way in ensuring a clean sport.

“We had a consultation with some expert people and they told us that a regular blood testing is a sort of “biological passport” which can be useful to detect any anomaly in the blood profile.”