World Athletics’ AIU Bans Another Kenyan Marathoner For FOUR Years
Kenyan marathoner Brimin Kipkorir has been banned from competing for four years by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) after testing positive for forbidden substances.
The AIU said in a complete statement on Tuesday, April 1, that it had upheld the 35-year-old’s original sentence following positive erythropoietin and furosemide tests.
The AIU has banned Brimin Misoi Kipkorir (Kenya) for 5 years from 17 February 2025 for Presence/Use of Prohibited Substances (EPO, Furosemide). DQ results from 22 November 2024
— Athletics Integrity Unit (@aiu_athletics) April 1, 2025
Details here: https://t.co/aC5efAexfe
“The AIU has banned Brimin Misoi Kipkorir (Kenya) from 17 February 2025 for presence/use of prohibited substances (EPO, furosemide). DQ results from November 22, 2024,” the statement read.
Kipkorir’s problems began on November 22, when he submitted a urine sample for a routine test while in Kenya.
Three weeks later, the World Anti-Doping Agency (“WADA”) approved laboratory in Lausanne, Switzerland, discovered that the sample contained furosemide, a forbidden substance.
Furosemide is generally used as a diuretic (water pill) to assist a failing kidney in performing important duties such as removing excess fluid and salt by boosting urine output.
However, in some situations, sportsmen have been known to utilize furosemide to lose weight quickly.
In other cases, because the medication flushes urine, athletes have used it as a drug-masking agent to remove prohibited compounds from the body.
Following the discovery, the AIU notified Kipkorir of the forbidden chemicals and gave him until January 6 to reply. AIU said that the athlete did not respond.
A subsequent study of the sample in February 2025 found the presence of another chemical, erythropoietin, which is commonly used to treat kidney illness.
The AIU has provisionally suspended Brimin Misoi Kipkorir (Kenya) for the Presence/Use of Prohibited Substances (EPO, Furosemide).
— Athletics Integrity Unit (@aiu_athletics) February 24, 2025
Details here: https://t.co/Y8LF9j2o9f
NOTE: This sample was collected out-of-competition on 22 November 2024. pic.twitter.com/eZW3YOuksl
This medication, like furosemide, is abused by sportsmen because it increases the flow of oxygen to red blood cells, hence improving performance.
Kipkorir was first sentenced to a two-year penalty, but the AIU noted that his case had ‘aggravating circumstances’ that required the maximum six-year term.
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However, because Kipkorir first accepted the ban and it was his first infraction, the AIU decided on a four-year ban.
“The period of ineligibility to be imposed is therefore a period of ineligibility of four (4) years, unless the athlete demonstrates that the Anti-Doping Rule Violations were not intentional,” the AIU stated.
The ban will be a setback for Kipkorir, who was a promising athlete, particularly in marathons.
In 2024, he famously won the Sydney marathon with a time of 02:06:17, beating his Ethiopian counterpart Chalu Deso Gelmisa and Felix Kiptoo from Kenya.
World Athletics’ AIU Bans Another Kenyan Marathoner For FOUR Years
