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Paris (AFP)

Olympic 3000m steeplechase champion Ruth Jebet has been banned for four years after testing positive for banned blood booster EPO, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) announced Wednesday.

Hit with a provisional ban in 2018 after a positive test on December 1 2017, the Kenyan-born Bahraini has the right to appeal the four-year suspension.

As it stands the 23-year-old will not be able to defend her title at the July 24-August 9 Olympics in Tokyo.

After winning gold in Rio in 2016, she went on to set a new world record in the Paris Diamond League meet of 8min 52sec 78sec, a mark since smashed by Kenya's Beatrice Chepkoech (8:44.32) in July 2018.

© 2020 AFP