Bahrain's Marius Kimutai (31) has been banned for three years after the 2023 Barcelona Marathon winner was found to have violated anti-doping regulations, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said in a statement on Monday.
Kimutai, who also won the Rotterdam Marathon in 2017, has been given a three-year ban starting from March 28th 2024 with all results since February 2nd disqualified.
On March 27th, the World Anti-Doping Agency accredited laboratory in Lausanne, Switzerland reported adverse analytical findings in Kimutai's blood and urine samples collected in February for the presence of erythropoietin (EPO).
"On 10 April 2024, the Athlete returned a signed Admission of Anti-Doping Rule Violations and Acceptance of Consequences Form confirming that he admitted the Anti-Doping Rule Violations and accepted the asserted period of Ineligibility," the AIU said in the statement.