Titus Ekiru, a Kenyan marathon runner, has been banned from participating in athletics for a period of ten years by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU). This sanction comes as a result of doping allegations against Ekiru, who, according to the AIU, conspired with a doctor at a Kenyan hospital to create false medical documents in an attempt to deceive anti-doping authorities.
AIU’s official statement declared that Titus Ekiru of Kenya has been banned for 10 years starting from June 28, 2022. The ban was imposed due to the presence of prohibited substances in his system, which included Triamcinolone Acetonide and its metabolite, as well as Pethidine and its metabolite. Additionally, Ekiru was penalized for tampering with the doping control process.
The AIU investigation revealed that Ekiru tested positive for banned substances during two international races that he had won: the Generali Milano Marathon on May 16, 2021, and the Abu Dhabi Marathon on November 26, 2021. Consequently, all of Ekiru’s results from May 16, 2021, onward have been invalidated, and he is required to forfeit any prizes and earnings associated with those races.
Had Ekiru’s victory in the Generali Milano Marathon been upheld, it would have established him as the sixth-fastest marathon runner in history.
In July 2023, Titus Ekiru faced charges related to the presence of prohibited substances as per the World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules and an attempt to interfere with the AIU’s investigation. A joint effort between AIU and Kenya’s Anti-Doping Agency revealed inconsistencies in Ekiru’s claims and supporting documentation related to the results of his urine tests.
Ekiru argued that the substances found in his tests were the result of prescribed medications used for injury treatment. However, further investigation revealed that Ekiru had collaborated with a senior doctor in Nandi County. On two separate occasions, April 29, 2021, and May 6, 2021, the athlete had received injections of Triamcinolone Acetonide during undocumented hospital visits.
While the doctor claimed that the hospital visits were not recorded because they occurred early in the morning before the registration offices had opened, the Nandi County Director of Medical Services disputed this assertion. It was uncovered that the medical records pertaining to Ekiru’s visits on April 29, 2021, and May 6, 2021, were fabricated and backdated to June 16, 2021. Moreover, the hospital did not have the purported ‘injury medication’ in stock, nor was it dispensed on the dates specified.
