Marathon champion Daniel Wanjiru: I am innocent

The 2017 London Marathon champion Daniel Wanjiru has strongly denied committing any doping offence saying he has always competed clean and stood for a clean and fair sport.

Wanjiru said that the Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) finding is confusing and frustrating him as his management Volare Sports also defended the long distance runner from the doping accusations.

Athletes Integrity Unit (AIU) on Tuesday provisionally suspended Wanjiru with immediate effect for an Athlete Biological Passport violation under the World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules.

“Specialists have informed me about how this can happen and I have come to realise there can be hundreds of reasons found why HB (haemoglobin) is fluctuating,” said Wanjiru in a statement to Volare Sports.

Wanjiru said he felt that he had already been crucified as a “”sinner of doping” without having defended himself yet he is innocent.

“It’s very painful what’s happening to me now. I’ve always believed that those athletes who are suspended because of a doping violation, were indeed guilty of what they did,” said Wanjiru adding that he has realised that in the long run it will be difficult to prove himself innocent when he has already been judged be guilty.

Wanjiru said his results from the past events came through hard work only.

“I have never doped. We are currently investigating the case. Knowing I have never used anything illegal, I have faith everything will be all right,” said Wanjiru.

Volare Sports acknowledged having received a notice of charge and provisional suspension regarding an alleged anti-doping rule violation on Wanjiru on Friday but insisted that no prohibited substance was found in their athlete’s body.

“The accusation is based on an assumption and as a management, we regret this case is happening,” said Volare Sports on their Facebook page.

Volare Sports said the accusation concerns alleged use of a prohibited substance or a prohibited method pursuant to Article 2.2 ADR (Anti-Doping Regulation) on the basis of alleged abnormal variations in the haematological profile.

“We are already trying to get to the bottom of this in order to find the truth,” the statement read.

Wanjiru shot to the limelight when he edged out Ethiopian long-distance running legend Kenenisa Bekele to London Marathon victory in 2017 before finishing eighth in the 2017 London World Championships.

The 27-year-old athlete. would finish eighth in his London title defence run in 2018 before finishing fifth at New York City Marathon the same year.

Wanjiru then came 11th last year at the London Marathon last year, just days after claiming a third place at the Vitality Half Marathon race in the same city.

Wanjiru won the 2016 Amsterdam Marathon, his maiden victory over the distance in a course record time of 2:05:21 and has won Prague Half Marathon twice in 2015 and 2016.

His last appearance was during the Kenya Police Championships in July last year where he settled for 12th place in 10,000m.

Wanjiru becomes the second high profiled Kenyan to be suspended this year for a doping offence after 38-year-old former World marathon record holder, Wilson Kipsang, who also won the London Marathon in 2012 and 2014.

KIPSANG SUSPENDED

Kipsang was handed a provisional suspension by the AIU “for whereabouts failures and tampering”, both violations of anti-doping rules in January this year and his case is yet to be resolved.

Kipsang claimed the world record when clocking 2hr 3 min 23 sec in the 2013 Berlin marathon.

Kipsang joins 2016 Rio Olympic Games marathon champion Jemimah Sumgong in disgraced list.

Sumgong was suspended in 2017 for four years for doping but the ban was later doubled to eight years in 2019 after she lied about her medical records.

Three-time Boston marathon champion Rita Jeptoo is another top Kenyan banned for using prohibited substances.

Another high profile case was that of the three-time World 1,500m champion Asbel Kiprop, who tested positive to Erythropoietin (EPO) out-of-competition in 2017 and would get a four-year ban in 2019. He appealed the case.

In April last year, Abraham Kiptum, who had set world half marathon record in 2018, was provisionally suspended for irregularities in his biological passport.

Kiptum was already in London for the London Marathon but was invariably ejected from the race.

Over 40 Kenyan athletes have been suspended both by AIU and Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (Adak) in the last one year as Athletics Kenya warned in September last year that more Kenyan athletes could fall to Athletes Biological Passport (ABP) discrepancy.