Ruth Jebet is the 2016 Rio Olympic champion at the steeplechase. On 27 August 2016, Ruth Jebet set a new WR in the steeplechase, in 8:52.78.
Then, the wall came tumbling down.
On 1 December 2017, the Bahraini (born Kenyan) tested positive for EPO. Ruth Jebet was given a provisional ban in 2018 after the positive test of December 2017.
Ruth Jebet wins gold in Rio 2016, photo by Olympics.org
On 4 March, 2020, the French newsite and digital TV, www.france24.com that the Athletic Integrity Unit (AIU) had announced that Ruth Jebet has been banned for 4 years, for using EPO, a blood booster meant for controlling Leukemia. EPO was first developed the AMGEN company, which helped the then IAAF (now World Athletics) in the 1990s to understand the drug and how endurance athletes were illegally using this to gain a fitness advantage.
This means that Ruth Jebet will be unable to defend her title from Rio in Tokyo 2020 (which begins 24 July 2020-ends 9 August 2020).
Jebet’s world record of 8:52.78, set August 2016, we decimated in August 2018 by Kenyan Beatrice Chepkoech, who is also the 2019 World Champion, with her 8:44.32. Chepkoech’s mark was put under the proverbial microscope due to the fact that two of the past 3 WR’s in the women’s steeplechase have both been banned since their world leading marks.
The @WorldAthletics Disciplinary Tribunal has banned #Rio2016 @Olympics gold medalist & former women’s 3000m steeplechase world record holder Ruth Jebet of Bahrain for 4 years with effect from 04 Feb 2018.
Read the decision here ⬇ï¸
https://t.co/cBkQOqSHT4#AIUNews #CleanSport pic.twitter.com/VLUDsZjfHW— Athletics Integrity Unit (@aiu_athletics) March 4, 2020
The following appeared on the Athletics Integrity Unit site.
13/02/2020 Ruth Jebet BRN Presence of a Prohibited Substance (EPO) – (Article 2.1) 4 years ineligibility from 18 February 2018 DQ results: from 1 December 2017 to 18 February 2018 – DT decision appealable
To see more on the Athletics integrity site: https://www.athleticsintegrity.org
To learn more about EPO and its abuses, go to: https://www.wada-ama.org/en/questions-answers/epo-detection
To read original France 24 story on Jebet ban: https://www.france24.com/en/20200304-four-year-doping-ban-for-olympic-women-s-steeple-champion-jebet
To learn more on Ruth Jebet: https://www.worldathletics.org/athletes/bahrain/ruth-jebet-282669
