Mercy Kibarus denied visa over dope claims

Kenyan athlete Mercy Jerotich Kibarus has had her visa application to South Korea cancelled over a doping scandal. 

The 30-year-old marathoner intended to travel to the Asian country next week to compete on March 16, which would have marked her comeback after two years on the sidelines. 

She has however maintained her innocence in the wake of these sustained allegations, and, instead, sensationally blamed both the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya and her former agent for engineering her woes.  She is also asking the government to intervene and enforce orders by both Athletics Kenya (AK) and the Sports Disputes Tribunal in absolving her.

“I’m innocent because I have never taken any drugs to help me ran faster. Besides, I have severally proven my innocence but the Adak people have refused to clear me. I don’t know why,” she told Nation Sport. Contacted, Adak’s complaints and testing representative Sarah Indieva refused to formally comment on this subject.

“We are guarded by policies and guidelines from the international law that prohibit us from discussing an athlete’s personal life,” she said.

Jerotich’s woes commenced in earnest two years ago, moments after she came  second at the First Lady’s Half Marathon held in Nairobi in March 2015.

She would, however fail a doping test conducted immediately after, but got off with a warning from AK. 

“Your provisional suspension has now been lifted and you are now eligible to compete both locally and internationally,” the AK ruling, dated 10/08/2015, states.

Jerotich, a mother of three, also suggests her breakdown in relationship with her former manager could be the main reason she is struggling to be re-admitted to race.