Despite wide-scale disapproval, doping remains a rampant issue in the world of sports. From horse racing to track and field, the ugly head of doping can rear its head anywhere, albeit unexpectedly. While the 2024 Kentucky Derby, as well as the ongoing Chinese swimming scandal, highlights again and again why more stringent, and practical, anti-doping measures must be taken, another trouble unfolds before our eyes, this time in Kenya.

In the world of track, Kenya commands a sort of status, that is considered elite and rare. And yet, much like how even some of the most towering figures of sports can’t keep themselves free from doping allegations, Kenyan athletes also sometimes fall prey to such accusations. Long-distance and cross-country runner Emmaculate Anyango is in the middle of a soup, as they say, and fans aren’t happy.

A time of woe for Emmaculate Anyango

Anyango is facing a provisional suspension for doping after testing positive for Testosterone and Erythropoietin (EPO). The banned substances being found in her samples have prompted the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) to announce Anyango’s suspension on October 4 via a social media update, which could lead to a four-year ban if confirmed. Naturally, fans are disappointed, especially considering the rather remarkable start of the season Emmaculate Anyango had.

This year’s 10k Valencia Ibercaja was memorable for many reasons. One of those was certainly the fact that this year’s race saw two women claiming the top two spots in the event together. Agnes Ngetich clocked 28.46 to win gold, and Anyango came in second crossing the finishing line in 28.57 seconds to become the first two women in history to run the distance below 29 minutes.

After a couple of more top-two finishes in her home country before heading to the 2024 World Cross-Country Championships for a fourth-place spot in Serbia, Anyango was faring well, to say the least. Obviously, the recent allegation has sent a shockwave across the track and field community.

The track and field community isn’t in the peppiest mood

The news is being shared across social media platforms, and fans haven’t been hesitant to make their frustration heard. The Subreddit group r/trackandfield had fans flocking in to note their dissatisfaction. “Bro why do they all use the worst most detectable and dangerous drugs?” asked one such flabbergasted Redditor, before another user reminded them that the low price of these drugs only adds to the problem.

Another user named Level99Cooking went one step further and demanded that the result put Emmaculate Anyango’s national teammate under the scope too. “This was so obvious to me. Hopefully Agnes Ngetich gets caught too,” the Redditor stated, expressing that red flags should have been seen earlier.

The Chinese swimming doping scandal would instead argue that a change in result could take time to reflect the doping test result, but this user’s rage came from an understandable point of view. The user remarked, “I used to really believe Kenyan’s were naturally gifted at mid to long distance, but it might’ve been the drugs this whole time,” reflecting a growing skepticism among fans.

After learning about the news on X, a user named Tito summed up the feelings of many. “I feel cheated,” wrote the fan in the comment section of AIU’s post. Another user, Jordi, expressed frustration with the broader issue of doping. “What a joke athletics nowadays,” grunted the user. While we understand their exasperation, we’d also love to know about your take on the matter. Drop by and tell us with a comment!