Alex Lagat’s second-place finish in the Tychy Half Marathon will be nullified due to a positive result which was conducted by the anti doping control at the finish line on September 3 2023.
Interestingly, Lagat travelled across Europe in September, participating in various races held in Poland.
He also took part in races in Croatia, the Czech Republic, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
This year’s edition of the Tychy Half Marathon in conjunction with the Silesian Anti-Doping Initiative program ensured that anti-doping examinations were conducted for the first two women and the first two men at the finish line.
The Polish Anti-Doping Agency has officially confirmed the positive result of one of the participants.
In a statement, they said, “Triamcinolone, a glucocorticosteroid, was detected in one of the tested participants.”
After Alex Kiprop Lagat 🇰🇪 tested positive at the #doping control after Tychy #HalfMarathon 🇵🇱 (https://t.co/2CFAp7GgaE), the @Bieganie_pl article ⤵️ gives more context. https://t.co/Lvim9CNNJG
— Marathon News (@Marathon_N) October 9, 2023
This drug also has therapeutic uses. If someone is a professional athlete, they would need to apply for a retroactive Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE), which allows the controlled use of such substances for medical purposes.
Lagat tested positive for triamcinolone, the same drug that resulted in a 6-year suspension of Diana Kipyokei, the champion of the 2021 Boston Marathon.
The Athletics Integrity Unit has banned Kenyan marathoner Diana Kipyokei for six years for violations of the World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules.
— Only In Boston (@OnlyInBOS) December 21, 2022
As a result, Kipyokei will now be
disqualified as the 2021 Boston Marathon women’s winner.