Olympic Steeplechase Champion Busted For EPO

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Ruth Jebet won the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Rio Games in 2016 and followed that performance with a world record – all before her 20th birthday. 

For Jebet, who defected from Kenya to Bahrain at age 16, there was a big pay check involved. She made a reported $500,000 from Bahrain after winning the nation's first gold medal. 

On Wednesday, the Athletics Integrity Unit announced that Jebet has tested positive for the blood-booster EPO (Erythroprotein). She has been handed a four-year suspension, retroactive to early 2018. 

It makes sense that Jebet has been too good to be true for years. It strains credibility that Jebet wasn't on EPO during 2016, but at this point she has not been stripped of her gold medal or her financial windfall. 

You can imagine how that would make U.S. bronze medalist Emma Coburn feel.