The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has asked the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to increase Rita Jeptoo’s pending doping from two years to four, citing “aggravating circumstances” on the CAS website.
As ܳٲwrote earlier this week, the news that Jeptoo had tested positive for EPO came as a rattling surprise, opening the sport to questions about the effectiveness of testing for doping, especially in East Africa, which produces most of the world’s most accomplished marathon champions and lacks a World Anti-Doping Agency–accredited drug testing lab.
Jeptoo’s own reputation, needless to say, is threatened as well, particularly after her B sample returned positive, as ԹϺ reported in December. Until last autumn, she was lauded as one of the most accomplished female marathoners ever, capturing wins at Stockholm, Milan, Helsinki, and Paris before going on to win the Boston Marathon three times. After her first positive test for EPO, the award ceremony for the World Marathon Majors Series title, which carried a $500,000 purse and Jeptoo had already clinched, was postponed.
Concurrent with the IAAF appeal, Jeptoo has filed an appeal of her own, requesting a stay of execution of the ban, which would allow her to resume training and compete in IAAF races during the CAS proceedings.