Olympic gold medalist Jemima Sumgong EPO positive

By Christopher Cummins • Updated: 07/04/2017

Kenya’s Olympic Marathon gold medalist <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jemima_Sumgong">Jemima Sumgong</a> has tested positive for the banned blood booster <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erythropoietin">EPO</a>. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Association_of_Athletics_Federations">IAAF</a> inspectors turned up unannounced in Kenya to carry out the out of competition test. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"tw-align-center data-lang="en">Rio Olympics marathon champion Jemima Sumgong (Kenya) fails drugs test, confirms IAAF <a href="https://t.co/4vcrCggApK">https://t.co/4vcrCggApK</a> <a href="https://t.co/9GltlK6Oov">pic.twitter.com/9GltlK6Oov</a>— India Today (@IndiaToday) <a href="https://twitter.com/IndiaToday/status/850182308623773696">April 7, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> “The IAAF can confirm that an anti-doping rule violation case concerning Jemima Sumgong (Kenya) has commenced this week,” the International Association of Athletics Federations said in a statement. The analysis is part of an enhanced testing programme targeting elite marathon runners. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"tw-align-center data-lang="en">Jemima Sumgong, who became Kenya’s 1st female Olympic marathon champion last summer in Rio, tested positive for EPO: <a href="https://t.co/vWHW6GFSlr">https://t.co/vWHW6GFSlr</a> <a href="https://t.co/8ToaQ9ll9q">pic.twitter.com/8ToaQ9ll9q</a>— FloTrack (@FloTrack) <a href="https://twitter.com/FloTrack/status/850196440466968579">April 7, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> The case will be seen by observers as evidence of how the IAAF is making progress in the region after previous official criticism of anti-doping regimes in Kenya and Ethiopia.