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Kenyan marathon runner Titus Ekiru hit with 10-year doping ban

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A Kenyan record-breaking marathoner, Titus Ekiru has been hit with a 10-year ban by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) for alleged “doping and trying to obstruct the investigation”.

The AIU said in a statement that the 31-year-old Ekiru tested positive for prohibited substances after winning the Milan marathon in May 2021 and the Abu Dhabi event in November that year.

Ekiru, who is the sixth-fastest marathon runner of all time, twice tested positive for prohibited substances in urine samples in 2021 after winning both the Milan and Abu Dhabi Marathons, the AIU said.

The ban will last from June 28, 2022, being the date he was provisional suspended, until June 27, 2032.

The anti-doping body said after an investigation, Ekiru was found guilty on two charges of tampering and testing positive for banned substances on two separate occasions.

In addition to the ban, the AIU also said following Ekiru’s results since the Milan race, he had been disqualified and all prizes forfeited, meaning that his victory in Milan achieved in the exceptionally fast time of 2hrs, 2mins and 57 secs, has now been rescinded while he has been stripped of that accolade.

“The ban follows a comprehensive investigation” which revealed tampering by Ekiru to obstruct the AIU probe, and collusion by a senior doctor at a Kenyan hospital,” the AIU said.

“Initially, Ekiru signalled his intention to contest the charges. However, faced with substantial evidence against him, the Kenyan athlete decided that he no longer wanted to pursue the case,” it added.

Ekiru, who was provisionally suspended in June last year, had claimed the outcome resulted from legitimate medical treatment for injuries but the probe found that a senior doctor had colluded with him and that hospital documents provided to the AIU to explain the presence of prohibited substances were forged.

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Chelsea offers Lukaku plus cash to Napoli for Osimhen

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English Premier League club, Chelsea, is said to be willing to offer Belgium striker, Romelu Lukaku, as well as fork out £77 million to Napoli in a bid to lure Nigerian forward, Victor Osimhen, to the club this summer.

Multiple reports in the Italian sporting media reveal that the Blues are willing to use forgotten man Lukaku and unnamed player to sweeten the deal to bring in Osimhen.

The Belgian striker who is on loan at Roma, is set to depart the Italian capital at the end of the season and make his return to Stamford Bridge where Chelsea are already planning ways to get rid of him on a permanent basis.

According to Gianluca Di Marzio of Sky Sport, the latest development in the Lukaku’s saga with the Blues is that Chelsea have gone as far as offering the 30-year-old attacker to Napoli.

“The Blues are aiming to sign Victor Osimhen this coming summer and are aiming to include Lukaku in a deal for the Nigerian international,” Marzio said.

“Newly appointed Napoli sporting director, Manna, is said to be very keen on Lukaku after having tried to bring him to Juventus and Napoli are currently considering the offer with Roma slipping away from the race for Big Rom.”

The 30-year-old Belgian rejoined the Blues in a disastrous £97.5m deal in 2021 and has spent the last two seasons out on loan, firstly at Inter Milan then this time around at Roma.

With two years still remaining on his deal, the Blues will look to get his salary off their wage bill for good this summer.

Osimhen on the other hand, helped Napoli to a historic Serie A title victory last season, scoring 26. This season, he has scored 14 goals in 22 appearances, having missed chunks of the campaign due to a hamstring injury and Afcon.

Lukaku, meanwhile, has netted 11 goals in 29 Serie A appearances for Roma, with 19 in all competitions.

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Nigeria’s 4x400m mixed relay, 4×400 teams qualify for Olympics

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Team Nigeria on Sunday morning booked two places at the upcoming Paris Olympics Games in the Mixed 4x400m relay and 4X400m men’s events with automatic qualification spots at the ongoing World Relays in the Bahamas.

The mixed 4x400m relay team which had the quartet of Samuel Ogazi, Ella Onojuvwevwo, Chidi Okezie, and Esther Elo Joseph, picked the slot after finishing second behind the USA in their heat with a time of 3:13.79, to ensured Nigeria’s presence on the Olympic stage.

Both Nigeria and the US were a distance ahead of other in the heat and it was obvious as at the third leg that the race was between the two countries.

According to reports on the race, Okezie ran an impressive third leg in 44.78 to handover his baton first, but a US Olympics gold-medalist, Kendall Ellis, was too much for Esther Elo Joseph in the anchor leg as she led the United States to the finish line first.

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