Kenyan athlete Albert Korir, a former New York City Marathon winner, has been handed a five-year suspension after testing positive in an anti-doping control, marking yet another case of cheating tarnishing the image of Kenyan athletics.
The 32-year-old runner tested positive for a synthetic derivative of erythropoietin (EPO), a substance that stimulates red blood cell production, according to the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU).
Albert Korir won the New York City Marathon in 2021 with a time of 2:08:22 and finished third in 2023, with a personal best of 2:06:57. He also won the Ottawa Marathon in 2019 and 2025.
On January 12, a few days after being notified of his provisional suspension, the athlete admitted to anti-doping rule violations and accepted a six-year period of ineligibility, the AIU said in a statement.
"The athlete therefore benefits from a one-year reduction in his initial period of ineligibility due to his early admission and acceptance of the sanction,” the AIU added.
He is thus suspended for five years, from January 8, 2026 — the date of his provisional suspension — until January 7, 2031.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) had stated in October that Kenya had made "significant” progress in the fight against doping and had refrained from imposing sanctions on the country. However, it also noted that Kenya remains under probation to improve its testing system.
Also in October, marathon world record holder Ruth Chepngetich was suspended for three years after admitting to the use of hydrochlorothiazide (HCT), a banned diuretic used to mask the use of performance-enhancing substances.
As athletics is, for many Kenyans, a way out of poverty, the pressure faced by runners leads some to resort to doping, especially as the country lacks the high-quality infrastructure needed to develop elite athletes.
Kenya had worked to improve its image following a series of doping scandals ahead of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, which led WADA to declare the country "non-compliant” with its obligations.
Since then, more than 140 Kenyan athletes, mainly long-distance runners, have been sanctioned for doping.
In June 2024, Kenya handed down the first lifetime ban in its history to marathon runner Beatrice Toroitich, along with a six-year suspension for Rhonex Kipruto, the 10 km world record holder.
AFP