Jemima Sumgong Given Another Four-Year Ban Following Her Response to Her 2017 Positive Drugs Test

By Adam Kopet

Jemima Sumgong became the first Kenyan woman to win an Olympic gold medal when she won the marathon in 2016. A year later she faced doping sanctions for a positive test for the blood-boosting drug EPO.

Now, according to Sean Ingle of the Guardian, Sumgong has had her four-year ban doubled to eight years for tampering with a doping control.

Sumgong reportedly lied to investigators about her whereabouts and fabricated medical records with regards to how the EPO entered her system.

After testing positive in April 2017, Sumgong blamed her positive result on treatment for a ruptured ectopic pregnancy in February. She supposedly sought treatment at a Nairobi hospital and provided five medical documents as proof. However, the Nairobi hospital disputed Sumgong's story, calling the documents fake. She did suffer an ectopic pregnancy in 2009.

Further, the World Anti-Doping Agency's whereabouts system placed Sumgong in Kapsabet, a five-hour drive from Nairobi.

Sumgong's response to her initial positive test is considered a second doping offense, adding another four years to her already active doping ban. Her ban is now scheduled to last until 2025, when she is 40 years old.