Abraham Kiprotich, a Kenyan-born French citizen, could face a two-year competitive ban after the “A” urine sample taken following his November 17 Istanbul Marathon victory was found to have traces of the blood booster EPO.



Kiprotich, 28, was a 2012 Olympian for France but did not complete the marathon at the London Games. His 2013 season included a personal-best 2:08:33 victory in Daegu in April and the November win in Istanbul in 2:12:28.



Kiprotich was a steeplechaser who progressed to an 8:36 clocking in 2008. In that year, he started winning road races in France—the 10 km de Clermont Ferrand in 28:41 and the 10K held in conjunction with the Lille Half Marathon in 28:29. After service in the French Foreign Legion, he became a citizen of France. His marathon breakthrough came at Dusseldorf in 2012, when he ran 2:08:35 for third place.



The reporting on Kiprotich’s positive EPO result has thus far appeared in French, including this article from L’Equipe, roughly translated. The article implies that Kiprotich was already a figure of suspicion because, according to French officials, he ran in Daegu “when he was under suspension of 15 days following administrative failures relating to the medical surveillance of high-level athletes,” but no further explanation of that statement is provided.

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