The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has provisionally suspended Kenyan Olympian and 10-mile world record holder Bernard Kibet Koech over the alleged use of prohibited substances.
Koech, 25, made headlines in December 2022 after breaking a 17-year-old world record set by Ethiopia’s Haile Gebrselassie. He clocked an impressive 44:04 during the 39th edition of the Kumamoto Kosa 10-mile race, setting the current global mark.
He also delivered strong performances on the global stage, finishing fifth at both the 2023 World Athletics Championships and the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Koech now becomes the latest Kenyan athlete to face sanctions amid an ongoing crackdown on doping, just weeks before the Tokyo World Athletics Championships. The provisional suspension casts a shadow over Kenya’s preparations for the upcoming global event.
