Sports

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

Published

7 months ago

October 17, 2023

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meaning that his victory in Milan achieved in the exceptionally fast time of 2hrs, 2mins and 57 secs, has now been rescinded while he has been stripped of that accolade.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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Sports

Egyptian midfielder Elneny announces departure from Arsenal after eight years

Published

22 hours ago

May 18, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

Egypt and Arsenal midfielder, Mohamed Elneny, has announced his departure from the club at the end of this season after eight years at the North London club.

Elneny who made the announcement in a video on Friday, said he will depart the club following the expiration of his contract.

Elneny joined Arsenal from Swiss side Basel in 2016 and made 161 appearances but in the last two seasons, the Egyptian midfielder has struggled for playing time due to a combination of injuries and loss of form.

In 2019, under former manager Unai Emery, he was loaned out to Besiktas for the 2019-20 campaign, where he played 36 times for the Turkish side.

Upon returning to Arsenal, he found a more prominent role under new manager Mikel Arteta.

Elneny’s contract was due to expire at the end of last season, but Arsenal opted to extend it by an additional year. With this extension now coming to an end, it has been widely reported that the 31-year-old will leave the club this summer.

In the video on X, Elneny said:

“Gooners, I’m here today to send you a message. To say goodbye and thank you for everything you’ve done for me, the love, the support, and the kindness. I am really going to miss you so much and you will be in my heart forever.

“I wanted to say how much I love you and how much you mean to me. I will never forget the way you supported me. I am going to see you on Sunday at the Emirates Stadium to say goodbye face to face.”

He added that he would bid farewell to fans at the Emirates on Sunday as Arsenal host Everton in their final league match.

Though Elneny did not say where he would go after leaving Arsenal, it is believed he will be heading to the Saudi Arabian league to join a horde of elite players who have made the Saudi League the new football haven.

Sports

Ethiopian marathon legend Bekele returns to Olympics after 12-year absence

Published

2 days ago

May 17, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

After a 12-year absence on the international race circuit, Ethiopian marathon legend, Kenenisa Bekele, has announced that he will return for the 2024 Olympic Games in July after he was named in a 10-member team on Thursday.

The 41-year-old Bekele last competed in the London Games in 2012 when he finished fourth in the men’s 10,000m before he was overlooked for the 2016 and 2020 Olympics.

His surprise return to the Ethiopian team came after a remarkable second-place finish at the London Marathon in April which was enough to earn him a place for the Paris Olympics in a squad which also features women’s world record holder Tigist Assefa.

In his heydays, Bekele won three Olympic golds in the 5,000m and 10,000m, and is now expected to renew his rivalry with reigning Olympic champion and former world record holder, Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya who was also named in the Kenyan team.

In August 2003, Kipchoge dusted his Ethiopian rival when the two met for the first time at the Paris World Championships, holding on to win the 5,000m race, pipping Moroccan Hicham El Guerrouj into second place while Bekele finished third.

Bekele made his marathon debut in April 2014 when he produced the sixth-fastest run over the distance in Paris but his career has been hampered by injuries.

Other members of the Ethiopian men’s team for the Olympics are Sisay Lemma, the Valencia marathon champion, and Deresa Geleta, while 2023 New York marathon champion and 2022 world champion Tamirat Tola and Eusedin Mohammed, are standby reserves.