NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 11 – Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has provisionally suspended Kenyan runner Mark Kangogo for alleged use of the prohibited substances, Norandrosterone and Triamcinolone acetonide.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the anti-doping body announced that a notice of allegation has been issued to the athlete to kickstart the disciplinary process.
“The AIU has provisionally suspended Mark Kangogo of Kenya for the Presence/Use of Prohibited Substances (Norandrosterone & Triamcinolone acetonide) (Article 2.1 and Article 2.2),” AIU said.
Norandrosterone is an anabolic steroid banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and is normally used by athletes to illegally boost their muscle strength.
On the other hand, Triamcinolone acetonide, normally used to cure skin ailments, such as eczema, dermatitis, rashes and allergies, is banned by WADA due to its ability to help users lose weight without a significant drop in their energy levels.
The use of norandrosterone is particularly becoming a common headache among Kenyan athletes with Kangogo the third athlete to be penalized for the use of this substance in the past two months after Michael Njenga and Vane Nyaboke.
The suspension of Kangogo – who timed a course record of 2:12.10 at the 2018 Luxembourg Marathon – adds to the long list of Kenyan athletes who have fallen afoul of anti-doping rules this year.
It also comes a day after the three-year ban on marathoner Philemon Kacheran who was found guilty of using the prohibited substance testosterone.
Other prominent athletes who have found themselves in AIU’s bad books this year include 2019 Boston Marathon champion Lawrence Cherono and Eglay Nalyanya.
