The South Sudanese runner tested positive and was found to have tampered with evidence, while American coach and former sprinter, Monzavous ‘Rae’ Edwards, was sanctioned for encouraging doping, and tennis player Nathan Ponwith for cannabis use.
Dominic Lokolong Atiol tested positive for trimetazidine in February 2024 following an out-of-competition test in Eldoret, Kenya.
The substance is a prohibited metabolic modulator which may improve energy efficiency in cells during intense physical activity, aid recovery from hypoxic or ischaemic episodes, and delay fatigue under certain conditions.
According to Athletics Illustrated, Atiol claimed that he had received several injections in December 2023 and January 2024, as well as tablets prescribed by a doctor.
Although he submitted some documentation to the Athletics Integrity Unit, the organisation requested assistance from the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya.
After a two-year investigation and a lack of meaningful response or cooperation from Atiol, the AIU announced on Wednesday that he had been handed an eight-year ban, having determined that the documentation he had provided had been manipulated.
Atiol specialised in the 800 metres and 1,500m events, and was based at the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya.
On Monday, the United States Anti-Doping Agency announced that 45-year-old Edwards, of Lewisville, Texas, had accepted a two-year period of ineligibility, reduced in recognition of the substantial assistance he provided to the investigation.-insidethegames
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