Olympic Finalist Handed Four-Year Ban for Doping Violations

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has on Thursday, January 5, 2026, imposed a four-year ban on Kenyan distance runner Benard Kibet Koech following confirmed discrepancies in his Athlete Biological Passport (ABP).

The ABP serves as an electronic record that monitors biological markers over time to detect indirect evidence of performance-enhancing drug use.

As a direct consequence of the ruling, Koech’s fifth-place finish in the 10,000m final at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where he clocked a time of 26:43.98, has been officially disqualified.

The 26-year-old’s suspension marks a significant moment in the AIU’s rigorous monitoring of elite distance running.

“The AIU has banned Benard Kibet Koech (Kenya) for 4 years from 10 June 2025 for Use of a Prohibited Substance/Method (ABP case). DQ results from 26 June 2024 to 10 June 2025,” The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU)said on X.

Kibet held the world record over 10 miles (16.09 km) with a time of 44:02 and was ranked sixth in the world in the men’s 10,000m when he was placed on temporary suspension last June.

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Kibet’s Records

He placed fifth in the 10,000m at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris and the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, and he advanced to the finals of both of the most recent major international competitions.

Kibet finished one spot behind Moh Ahmed of Canada in Paris and one spot ahead of him in Budapest.

Kibet has undergone 23 tests in the past five years, and the AIU discovered a marked increase in his hemoglobin levels in multiple samples taken during the 2024 Olympic Trials in Kenya and the Olympics in Paris.

According to the report, Koech has been charged by the AIU with an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (“ADRV”) in connection with abnormalities in the haematological module of his Athlete Biological Passport (“ABP”).

In particular, the matter concerns several abnormalities detected in blood samples collected from the Athlete between 15 February 2020 and 15 August 2024 that are alleged to indicate blood manipulation.

The Athlete denies having used any Prohibited Substances or Prohibited Methods that could have caused the abnormalities detected in his ABP and advances an alternative explanation. The Athlete requested that the matter be determined by way of a hearing before the Disciplinary Tribunal.

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Benard Kibet of Kenya points at the spikes of Ethiopia’s Berihu Aregawi in the men’s 10,000m final at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest. Photo: Kevin Morris