New York City Marathon Podium Finisher Albert Korir Provisionally Suspended

Kenyan marathon champion Albert Korir has been provisionally suspended in another blow to the country's athletics fraternity.

Korir's suspension was confirmed on Monday, January 12, by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), which revealed the 31-year-old was believed to be using a banned substance known as Continuous Erythropoietin Receptor Activator (CERA).

"The AIU has provisionally suspended Albert Korir (Kenya) for Presence/Use of a Prohibited Substance (CERA)," a statement from the AIU read.

CERA is a third-generation EPO (erythropoietin), known for stimulating the bone marrow to produce more red blood cells. effectively giving the blood a greater oxygen-carrying capacity. This, in turn, improves an athlete's endurance performance.

Under the World Anti-Doping Agency, CERA is classified under S2: Peptide Hormones, Growth Factors, Related Substances and Mimetics and is therefore considered an unlawful substance.

Following the suspension, Korir cannot effectively compete in marathons until his case is heard and a final decision is made.

The move will come as a blow to Korir, who only recently won bronze at the New York City Marathon, effectively collecting millions in prize money.

Korir is one of the most talented modern marathoners in Kenya, having won the same marathon inNew York City back in 2021.

If found guilty, Korir faces an automatic period of ineligibility to compete under World Athletics and World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) rules.

Beyond the ban, a guilty verdict for Korir could have devastating financial effects, as it could trigger the disqualification of results obtained from the date of the anti-doping rule violation. This means all performances, placings, medals, ranking points and appearance fees earned during the affected period will be erased from the record.

It is worth noting that Korir also secured a podium finish in the 2024 New York City marathon,where he pocketedKsh5.1 million (USD 40,000).

More recently, one of the biggest Kenyan names to be slapped with a doping ban was World marathon record-holder Ruth Chepng’etich, who was banned for three years after admitting to anti-doping rule violations.