Rules are meant to be broken! But sometimes, it can turn into straight daylight robbery. That’s exactly what happened when an athlete from the University of Tulane took advantage of a loophole in the rules. She ran at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, which not only proved her talent on the track but also earned her an All-American honor. But how did she run a race she was provisionally suspended from?

If you are still confused about who we are talking about, then it is none other than Caroline Jeptuani. The youngster has proven to be a truly phenomenal talent on the tracks. However, she had been placed under provisional suspension by the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK). The reason for the same has been cited as Jeptanui’s controversial actions at the Kapsabet Half Marathon on March 31, 2024.

ADAK accused her of having failed to submit for a drug test for the aforementioned tournament. Jeptanui was suspended provisionally on September 28, 2024. In a recent update from LetsRun.com, the letter that ADAK sent to Jeptanui stated that she “adamantly evaded, refused, and failed” to provide the required details for the test.

However, despite Jeptanui being banned, she did earn a 12th-place finish at the NCAA Championship on November 23, 2024.

But this was not all. Since last fall, Jeptanui has appeared in as many as 5 races in total. Apart from the 12th-place finish at the NCAA Championships, she also secured 3rd place at the Wisconsin Pre-Nationals. Competing in the American Athletic Conference (AAC), Jeptanui even secured a win without the authorities being aware that she was being suspended by ADAK. 

With the situation getting further complicated, Jeptanui competed this season at the LSU Twilight meet in the 3000 m category. And despite the backlash, she is still registered in the 3000m and 5000m categories for the American Athletic Conference Championships. Meanwhile, as the incident came to the forefront, Tulane head coach Adrian Myers and Caroline Jeptanui mysteriously refrained from commenting on the matter.

Tulane coaches caught off guard by track athlete’s shocking suspension news

Tulane’s coaching staff was blindsided by news of Caroline Jeptanui’s provisional suspension, with one assistant coach admitting he had no prior knowledge until he was informed by LetsRun.com. Head coach Adrian Myers did not respond to multiple requests for comment, leaving questions about when he first became aware of the situation.

A Tulane spokesperson, in a statement to LetsRun.com, emphasized the program’s commitment to integrity and compliance and provided an official statement following the controversy. The statement read, “We are aware of an upcoming article regarding one of our student-athletes and will work with the proper organizations and governing bodies to ensure all requirements are fulfilled.” However, no details were provided regarding the timeline of their awareness.

Adding another layer of uncertainty, Scholarbook Premier, the recruiting service that helped facilitate Jeptanui’s move to Tulane, also claimed ignorance of her provisional suspension until this week. “We were unaware,” the service told LetsRun.com, raising questions about the communication—or lack thereof—between governing bodies and institutions.

With Jeptanui still absent from the official suspension lists of both the Athletics Integrity Unit and the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya, confusion remains over how and when key stakeholders, including Tulane, were expected to be notified.