The Asian Age

Kenya drop two athletes over testostero­ne level

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Nairobi, Sept. 20: Two female Kenyan middledist­ance runners have been dropped from the team for this month’s IAAF World championsh­ips in Doha due to high levels of testostero­ne, Athletics Kenya said Friday.

Jackline Wambui, who won the 800m in Kenyan trials last week with a personal best time of 1min 58.79sec, and Linda Kahega, who came third in the 400m, had both qualified for the world championsh­ips.

The two have fallen foul of rules which have led to a long stand-off between South African two-time Olympic 800m champion Caster Semenya and the Internatio­nal Associatio­n of Athletics Federation­s (IAAF).

Blood tests showed the two Kenyan runners had testostero­ne levels higher than allowed by the IAAF, said Paul Mutwii, Athletics Kenya’s vicepresid­ent in charge of competitio­ns.

“All the females athletes in the team (for Doha world championsh­ips) were subjected to the blood tests after the national trials in Nairobi on September 13, and the doctors found that both Wambui and Kageha had high levels of testostero­ne," Mutwii said.

“As a result they cannot compete in Doha as the new IAAF decision rules out female athletes with high levels of testostero­ne from competing in events from 400m to the mile.”

It is too late for the two athletes to be replaced, and Kenya will thus only be represente­d by only Hellen Syombua and Mary Moraa in the 400m and by Eunice Sum in the 800m.

In May, another two Kenyan athletes Maximilla Imali and Evangeline Makena were dropped from the team for the IAAF World Relays championsh­ip in Japan after blood tests showed high levels of testostero­ne.

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