Kenyan athlete Jemima Sumgong Photo/www.smh.com.auKenya’s first woman to bring home a marathon Olympic gold medal, Jemima Sumgong risks a ban after she tested positive for Erythropoietin (EPO). The EPO is a banned blood booster by the IAAF. Sumgong was tested by the body in an out-of-competition test.
“The IAAF can confirm that an anti-doping rule violation case concerning Jemima Sumgong (Kenya) has commenced this week,” read part of International Association of Athletics Federations’ statement.Sumgong risks losing her Olympic gold and a ban making her follow former training partner Rita Jeptoo to the sidelines. It will be a personal lose as well as a setback to Kenya which had to wauit for ages to win gold in this competition.They added "The athlete tested positive for EPO (Erythropoietin) following a no-notice test conducted by the IAAF in Kenya. This was part of an enhanced IAAF out-of-competition testing program dedicated to elite marathon runners which is supported by the Abbott World Marathon Majors group."The 32-year-old Sumgong had a memorable 2016. She won the Rio Olympics after backing the April London Marathon. In Rio, the Kenyan-born but Bahrain professional took silver.