RAISED AND DESTROYED BY THE GODS: Rita Jeptoo faces bleak future as IAAF and CAS set to increase duration of ban

Rita Jeptoo

When banned marathoner Rita Jeptoo’s story is written and tested by Vladimir Propp’s principle, the Morphology of the Folktale, it could make for a compelling case of one the god’s raised to heroic status before being destroyed.

And for the fans of Greek Tragedy in Kenya, Jeptoo’s case could top the charts, for in the Greek tragic plays, “When a god plans harm against a man, he first damages the mind of the man he is plotting against.”

As a precocious talent, Jeptoo was raised to iconic status and paraded across major cities of the world where she was winning major marathons, but today all gods of athletics have deserted her.

Her last pillar of hope, Kikao Law firm, which was representing her pro bono, threw in the towel citing, among other reasons, IAAF and CAS’ decision to continue with the hearing on a public holiday (Eid Al-Fitr).

In short, Rita Jeptoo the heroine of yesterday and winner of Boston and Chicago marathons, is on her own.

In the meantime, the jury is still out as her managers from the Rosa Associati Kenya Limited face charges of (having) “conspired to cause injury by doping to the reputation and profession of athletes and preventing some of them their lawful exercise of their profession”.

The earth-shaking arrest and questioning of her agents, Gabrielle and Federico Rosa, came days before today’s hearing of her two-year EPO ban at the Court for Arbitration for Sport, CAS. Having dropped out of school in primary level (Standard Six), Jeptoo found her footing in athletics and rose to stardom, from where she is about to fall. Her husband Noah Busienei said she is a victim of “messed up athletics world.”

“It hurts me to see her suffering and being shamed as a cheat. It hurts more that she was lured out of our matrimonial home after I raised questions about her decision to leave Gianni’s camp,” Busienei says.

“At the time, I felt something was not right. Unfortunately, our relationship got strained and we separated after a court tussle. She was led to believe that I didn’t want her to prosper by opposing her switch from the previous camp.

“Sadly, the current developments bear me out. Today, no one wants to touch my Rita.”