- Kenyan runner Bernard Koech suspended over doping allegations.
- He broke a 17-year-old world record in 2022.
- The ban comes weeks before the World Championships in Tokyo.
- Kenya’s anti-doping fight faces renewed global attention.
Kenyan long-distance star Bernard Kibet Koech has been slapped with a provisional suspension by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) over suspected use of banned substances. The suspension adds to growing concerns surrounding doping cases involving top Kenyan athletes.
Koech had gained international fame in December 2022 after smashing a world record that had stood since 2005. He clocked 44 minutes and 4 seconds at the Kumamoto Kosa 10-mile race in Japan, rewriting history books and replacing the legendary Haile Gebrselassie’s mark.
The 25-year-old athlete didn’t just shine in Japan. He placed fifth in both the 2023 World Athletics Championships and again at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games — proof of his rising dominance in distance running.
Blow to Kenya’s Tokyo Preparations
With the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo just weeks away, Koech’s suspension couldn’t have come at a worse time for Team Kenya. The news delivers another blow to the nation’s efforts to clean up its sporting image.
Koech is now among a growing list of elite Kenyan runners facing suspension or bans, as the AIU and anti-doping authorities continue intensifying their crackdown. The trend has raised global concerns and sparked fresh debate about doping in Kenyan athletics.
