Yegon gets two-year ban, confesses: ‘I ingested a banned substance unknowingly’

Geoffrey Yegon, a Kenyan distance runner, has admitted he unknowingly ingested a substance on the prohibited list of substances by the World Anti-Doping Agency, WADA, and has been slammed a two ban by the Athletics Integrity Unit, AIU.

The WADA accredited laboratory in Doha, Qatar reported an adverse analytical finding in the urine sample Yegon provided after competing at the World Athletics’ Gold Label Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon in Singapore last December.

The AIU wrote to notify the athlete of the presence of Triamcinolone acetonide (the adverse analytical finding) in the urine sample he provided.

Yegon admitted to ingesting the drug but insisted it was not intentional.

‘After the race I gave out my urine sample for doping control test which I signed and was sealed on my presence. On 7th this month I received an email stating that my sample which I had given out after the race has turned to be positive of triamcinolone acetate, a drug that I can confess I took unknowingly from the over counter drug chemist to treat a stubborn allergy that has been disturbing me for some time,’ Yegon wrote in his response to the AIU.

The Kenyan admitted he knew the consequences for his action.

‘Considering that I didn’t apply for Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) and I didn’t seek information from relevant bodies to inquire about the drug before ingestion, and the consequences of it is that I’ll be banned from any competitions and my results will be nullified,’ he added but reiterated that he is not a cheat.

‘Since I have been competing in various competitions and winning cleanly and I have been a true advocate for clean sport, it wasn’t my intention to dope to win the race I
was just seeking medication and on the process I ingest a banned substance.’

Yegon holds a 2:12.39 lifetime best in the marathon which he set in December 2019 and a half marathon best of 59:44 which he set three years earlier.