Anger greets Jeptoo’s ban, Edna Kiplagat lands windfall

Women's Elite winner Edna Kiplagat (C) of Kenya poses with second placed Florence Kipalgat (L) of Kenya and third placed Tirunesh Dibaba (R) of Ethiopia following the Virgin London Marathon on April 13, 2014 in London, England. (Photo by Tom Dulat/Getty Images)

Three-time Boston Marathon winner Rita Jeptoo’s doping ban has elicited furious reactions.

But following her ban, two-time world marathon champion Edna Kiplagat (top left) will take home the Sh43m ($500,000) World Marathon Majors prize as she was second in the women’s leader board.

“We will win the 2012/2013 WMM jackpot since Lilya Shobukova (of Russia) failed the dope test. We are happy as we prepare for London Marathon,” said Kiplagat.

Top athletes and coaches have asked Athletics Kenya to reveal the person responsible for her woes.

Coach Bro Colm O’Connell, who guides world 800m record holder David Rudisha, said: “I think AK should reveal who aided Rita Jeptoo into doping or, if not, tell us the doctor who treated her. This will help coaches advise our athletes to avoid such doctors. It’s time we stepped out of the doping shadow and tell exactly who were involved in the doping issue before it gets out of hand.”

“Rita is a mature and high-profile athlete and should have been cautious enough. Such an act spoils the reputation of our naturally talented athletes,” Bro Colm said in Iten during the Elgeyo Marakwet cross country meeting at the weekend.

Last month, Jeptoo’s Italian agent Federicco Rosa promised that someone would reveal who led Jeptoo into doping while he appeared at Riadha House for questioning with the coach Claudio Berardelli.

Colm added: “AK should release Jeptoo’s doping report. If not, Cabinet Secretary (Dr Hassan Wario) should order for its release and avoid the matter damaging the reputation of Kenyan athletes. Doping is unfair for Kenya’s highly-talented athletes, who train hard and win clean.”

Christoper Kosgei, the 1999 world 5,000m champion, lashed out AK, saying Jeptoo’s ban offered no solution without disclosing the manner in which the scourge caught her.

“We must get to the root cause of the problem. It’s not the usual line that athletes get doped in chemists in Kapsabet, Eldoret and Iten. The Government must act. We don’t want these blanket blames,” said Kosgei.