One of the world’s greatest marathon runners, Ruti Aga, has been banned for six years after anti-doping investigators discovered she had presented a false prescription to explain a failed drug test.
The Ethiopian athlete won the Tokyo marathon in 2019 and reached the podium at the Berlin and New York marathons. She tested positive for the banned substance methylprednisolone after winning a half marathon in China in March, the athletics integrity unit said Thursday.
Aga said an Ethiopian doctor gave him the substance to treat knee pain, but the AIU said it found that the clinic mentioned on the document did not exist and that the purported prescription was signed by a family member who was not a registered doctor.
After that, Aga failed to respond to accusations of using methylprednisolone and “tampering” with the anti-doping process, the AIU added, meaning the six-year ban was handed down without a hearing. The 32-year-old rider’s ban includes two years for using the substance and a further four years for tampering.
Gn sports
