Kenya’s 2021 New York marathon champion Albert Korir has been banned for five years after he admitted using a banned performance-enhancing drug, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said on Monday.
Korir, 32, tested positive for the synthetic form of erythropoietin (EPO) that stimulates red blood cell production during out-of-competition tests in Kenya in October 2025.
Early admission
The AIU said that Korir had received a one-year reduction from the original six-year suspension “based on an early admission and acceptance of the sanction”.
His five-year ban will run from 8 January 2026, the date he was provisionally suspended until 7 January 2031.
Korir won the 2021 New York marathon in a time of 2:08:22 and came third in 2023 with a personal best time of 2:06:57.
He won the Ottawa marathon in 2019 and 2025.
By Garrin Lambley © Agence France-Presse
