Kenyan distance runner Rhonex Kipruto suspended for suspected doping

Kenyan distance runner Rhonex Kipruto, who won a bronze medal in the 10,000-meter race at the 2019 world championships, has been suspended for suspected doping, the Athletics Integrity Unit said Wednesday.

Kipruto has been notified of a charge relating to irregularities in his athlete biological passport, the AIU said. The biological passport can detect possible irregularities in blood values assessed over time without an athlete testing positive for a banned substance.

Kipruto was only 19 when he finished third in the 10,000 at the 2019 worlds in Doha, Qatar. The race was won by Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda.

Months later, Kipruto set a record time for a 10-kilometer road race in Valencia, Spain, and went on to place ninth in the 10,000 at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.