ADAK suspends 400m record holder Mercy Oketch over doping allegations
Sprinter Mercy Oketch and three distance runners are on a provisional suspension list ADAK published on Thursday. Oketch's case involves trimetazidine and furosemide, while the other three are linked to EPO and CERA.
The Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) has provisionally suspended national 400m record holder Mercy Adongo Oketch, The Eastleigh Voice reported. She is one of four Kenyan athletes named in the agency's latest register, published on Thursday. The other three are distance runners Justus Muasya, Shadrack Kenduiywo Kipkurui and Lameck Kibiwott Too. According to the register, Oketch and Muasya were suspended on October 26. The suspensions of Kenduiywo and Too took effect on Wednesday. Oketch's case involves trimetazidine and furosemide. Muasya and Kenduiywo are listed for erythropoietin (EPO). Kibiwott's case involves methoxy polyethylene glycol-epoetin beta, better known as CERA. EPO and CERA boost the production of red blood cells, which carry oxygen around the body. Trimetazidine is a drug used to treat some heart conditions. Furosemide is a diuretic that increases urine production. The register names the substances but does not say whether the athletes used them deliberately. It also gives no details of the circumstances of the alleged violations. Oketch is the biggest name on the list. She set the…
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