Asbel Kiprop was an emotionally distressed man before shocking video emerged

Asbel Kiprop in a past race [Courtesy]

Three-time World 1,500 metres champion Asbel Kiprop has seen himself become a trending topic following the release of a damning video – showing him kissing and groping a woman in his car.

The video, which immediately went viral, shows Asbel in his car with a half-naked lady, who appears to whine her waist for the camera as he busks in the excitement.

The lady, who has been identified as Nancy Rotich, is said to be married to Asbel’s confidant and training partner Andrew Chepsiya. She allegedly tried to commit suicide after the athlete leaked the video, swallowing pesticide at her house in Koinet, Eldoret.

Asbel was getting cozy with the lady in his car [Courtesy]

In another post which has since been deleted, Asbel accused the lady of destroying his family and career.  

The decorated athlete opened up to journalists about why he posted the video:

“I have lost everything. What else can I lose?” he asked, as seen in several local news outlets.

The International Association of Athletics Federations three months ago found traces of EPO - Erythroprotein (an energy-enhancing drug) in the athlete’s urine samples. He denied ever using the banned substance and took to social media to strongly blast the federation saying he was being set up.

“I earn a living through running. I did not dope; doping allegations on me is a conspiracy; it's an epileptic that wants to extinct my career,” said Asbel in one of his posts.

However, the federation responded, insisting that there was no mix-up or tampering with Asbel’s urine sample.

“The AIU is satisfied that there has been no mix-up or tampering with the sample. The sample collected from the athlete on November 27, 2017 was the same one analysed and reported as an adverse analytical finding,” a statement read.

Even though Asbel’s story looks like it came straight out of a soap opera, examining his social media activity reveals a lot about what he was going through as a person and an athlete. 

Here are the tweets: 

Asbel laments how his hard work had been turned into a mockery [Courtesy] 

He had been insisting the doping allegations levelled against him were part of a conspiracy to tarnish his name [Courtesy] 

He shamed those trying to tarnish his name [Courtesy] 

He explained how he felt demotivated after the allegations [Courtesy]

He says he was among the athletes who proposed jail term for those found guilty of doping [Courtesy] 

His whole life was built on running [Courtesy] 

Was Asbel going through the motions after doping allegations surfaced? By looking at these tweets, it’s fair to say Asbel was a man in emotional distress. The doping allegations levelled against him seemed to have left him in a state of confusion and pain.