Kenyan athletes shine in Tokyo, but anti-doping efforts remain in the dark

This combination of photos taken and created on September 21, 2025 shows the winners of the 51st edition of the Berlin Marathon in Berlin, Germany as they cross the finish line: Kenya's Sabastian Sawe (L) and Kenya's Rosemary Wanjiru. (Photo by Tobias SCHWARZ / AFP)

Kenyan athletes may have shone at the world championships in Tokyo, winning seven golds, but persistent allegations of doping still cast a shadow as the global anti-doping agency threatens to sanction the East African country.

The warning is anything but trivial for a nation whose runners embody Kenyans hopes for lifting families out of poverty, a desperate desire that can drive some over the line.