Ethiopian long-distance runner and Olympic finalist Zerfe Wondemagegn suspended 5 years for doping

MONACO (AP) — An Ethiopian runner who reached the 3,000-meter steeplechase final at the Tokyo Olympics and narrowly missed the world championship podium last year has been suspended for five years after testing positive to two banned substances.

Zerfe Wondemagegn admitted to breaking anti-doping rules after samples she gave revealed traces of testosterone and another substance, EPO, which can help athletes’ blood carry more oxygen, a said the Athletics Integrity Unit in a judgment published on Monday.

Wondemagegn finished eighth at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and fourth at the 2023 world championships in Budapest. Two of the three samples in her case were taken while she was in Hungary for the event and she was disqualified from the competition.

The AIU says it received email testimony from a doctor saying Wondemagegn had been given EPO as medication to treat severe anemia and a kidney infection, but “remained convinced” she had violated the anti-doping rules. The organization added that it received a signed admission from the athlete last week.

Wondemagegn’s is the latest in a series of doping cases in long-distance running.

The 2022 women’s steeplechase world champion, Norah Jeruto, faces a doping hearing in June, five weeks before the Paris Olympics. World Athletics is appealing an earlier decision to clear the runner, who was born in Kenya and competes for Kazakhstan. She argued that ulcers and a bout of COVID-19 may explain the irregular blood test results.

Also on Monday, the AIU announced a three-year ban on Kenyan runner Celestine Chepchirchir, who tested positive for testosterone.

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