Asbel Kiprop Reportedly Tests Positive for EPO

By Adam Kopet

Matt Lawton for the Daily Mail reports Asbel Kiprop has tested positive for EPO, a red blood cell boosting drug, in an out-of-competition test.

Kiprop, 28, has won three IAAF World Outdoor Championships titles at 1,500 meters in 2011, 2013 and 2015. He also finished second in the 1,500 meters at the 2008 Olympics, but was upgraded to gold after Rashid Ramzi of Bahrain tested positive for a form of EPO called CERA.

Additionally, Kiprop is the third-fastest man ever in the 1,500 meters, having run 3:26.69 in 2015. Only Hicham El Guerrouj (3:26.00) and Bernard Lagat (3:26.34) have run faster.

The Athletics Integrity Unit has not confirmed Kiprop has tested positive from the late-2017 out-of-competition test.

Sean Ingle of the Guardian reports Kiprop believes there is likely a mistake in his sample and that he will fight the allegations. Kiprop has been vocal in the past about clean sport.

Thursday Update: Kiprop released a statement on Facebook professing his innocence and alleging malfeasance on the part of the doping control officers who collected his sample and unnamed IAAF officials.

Friday Update: The Athletics Integrity Unit released a rebuttal to Kiprop's statement. The statement acknowledges sample collection protocols were not followed by the doping control officer, but those violations did not affect the test result. Both the A and B samples from Kiprop came back positive for EPO.