Kenyan Olympic sprinter Kishoiyan banned for 4 years for nandrolone

NAIROBI -- Kenyan sprinter and two-time Olympian Alphas Kishoiyan, has been banned for four years by the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) for thr presence of prohibited substance nandrolone in his system.

Kishoiyan, 26, a two-time African championships silver medalist who also competed for Kenya at the Beijing 2015 World Championships, will be eligible to compete again from July 28, 2024 with the four-year ban covering the period of his provisional suspension from July 28, 2020.

In a ruling delivered on Tuesday evening at the Sports Disputes Tribunal (SDT) in Nairobi where he was charged with the anti-doping rule violation by ADAK, Kishoiyan's results from and including March 6, 2020 were disqualified, including prizes, medals and points. He has the right to appeal.

The former Youth Olympics and world youth medalist was charged when his urine A-sample collected at an Athletics Kenya Track and Field Meeting in Nairobi on March 6, 2020 tested positive for nandrolone.

Both samples collected from Kishoiyan who last competed for Kenya at the Doha 2019 World Championships were transported to a World Anti-Doping Agency accredited lab in Bloemfontein, South Africa for testing.

"The analysis of the A-sample returned an adverse analytical finding (AAF) presence of prohibited substance 19-Nandrolone," SDT said in its ruling.

During the hearing, Kishoiyan admitted to ingesting cold drug named Flucoldex and three supplements but did not disclose their use in the doping control form.

"During the period of testing, he avers to have been eating pork meat and hence his diet could have caused the AAF," the ruling read.

In his defence, Kishoiyan further claimed he was using the supplement Deca Duraboli in "a quest to deal with his light body weight," not to enhance his performance.

The SDT ruled the sprinter was not eligible for a reduced ban because he did not produce corroborating evidence or sign a Without Prejudice Agreement.

This is the declaration that shows the willingness of an athlete to admit to doping offenses and help authorities establish the source of prohibited substances.

Kishoiyan came to attention at the 2010 Youth Olympics Games in Singapore when he won bronze in the 400m in 47.24 before winning a silver and a bronze at the 2011 Africa Junior Championships in Gaborone, Botswana.

Two silver medals in 400m at the 2011 World Youth and Commonwealth Games held in Lille, France and Douglas, Isle of Man followed.

He then made his Olympic debut at the London 2012 Games as part of the Kenyan 4x400m relay team that was disqualified before meeting the same fate at the last edition of Rio 2016.

Kishoiyan also ran for Kenya at three World Championships - Moscow 2013, Beijing 2015 and Doha 2019 - in the 400m and as part of the 4X400m relay without medalling.

At the 2015 World Relays in Bahamas, he was part of the Kenyan team that took silver at the Distance Medley Relay.

He is among the over 35 athletes banned by ADAK since the local anti-doping body started its operations in December 2016.