Ban Lifted for Kenyan-Born Athlete Who Renounced Her Kenyan Citizenship

Norah Jeruto, a former Kenyan athlete who relinquished her Kenyan citizenship to represent Kazakhstan, is set to make a comeback to the racing scene after her temporary suspension was lifted.

On Friday, the Sports Disciplinary Tribunal issued a statement claiming that despite their responsibility to handle doping cases, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) did not have ample evidence to validate accusations that Jeruto had made use of prohibited substances tied to her biological passport. The biological passport is utilized to consistently observe blood levels in athletes and identify suspicious activity related to performance-enhancing drugs. If an investigation is in progress, athletes may be subject to temporary suspension by the AIU until an official hearing can determine the outcome of the allegations.

Jeruto's AIU suspension was issued on April 10, 2023, stemming from anomalies in six blood samples; specifically, samples 13 to 15 surveyed from March to May 2020 and samples 17 to 19 surveyed from September to October 2020 which displayed profound discrepancies. Though not problematic on its own, the blood withdrawal observed in samples 13 to 15 signalled a probable intention to administer prohibited substances. In light of these claims, Jeruto claimed that she had been dealing with bleeding ulcers caused by H-pylori, a common cause of peptic ulcer disease.

Jeruto has been accused of taking illegal substances, but she contends that she had only taken medicine to ease chestache in September 2020. In the ensuing verdict, it is stated that there was not ample evidence to prosecute her. She is an experienced long-distance runner who won a gold medal at the 2022 World Championships in the 3000-meter steeplechase. However, she decided to represent Kazakhstan after renouncing her Kenyan citizenship on January 29, 2022.