Kenyan marathon runner Marius Kipserem has been handed a three-year ban from athletics following a doping violation.
The presence of the prohibited substance recombinant erythropoietin (EPO) was found in a sample provided by the 34-year-old in August.
The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said Kipserem had twice denied doping, before then admitting his guilt on 11 October.
A potential four-year sanction for the use of EPO was reduced by a year following his admission.
His ban has been backdated to 22 September, when Kipserem – a winner of the Rotterdam marathon in both 2016 and 2019 – was provisionally suspended.
His sole competitive result since his positive test, a sixth-placed finish at last month’s Sydney Marathon, has been disqualified and he will forfeit any prize money or appearance fee awarded.
EPO is a man-made version of natural erythropoietin and improves athletic performance by stimulating the production of more red blood cells.
Kenyan athletics has been rocked by a number of doping cases this year, with 16 athletes from the East African country being suspended by the AIU for a range of violations.
A further eight Kenyans have been provisionally suspended, with the outcomes of their cases pending.
Kenya was placed in the top category of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s compliance watch list in 2016.
