Aga banned for submitting fake prescription

ONE of the world’s leading marathon runners, Ruti Aga, has been banned for six years after track and field’s anti-doping investigators found that she submitted a fake prescription to explain a failed drug test.

The Ethiopian runner won the Tokyo Marathon in 2019 and has reached the podium at the Berlin and New York Marathons.

She tested positive for the banned substance methylprednisolone after winning a half marathon in China in March, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said yesterday.

Aga said she had been given the substance by a doctor in Ethiopia to treat knee pain, but the AIU said it found that the clinic named on the document did not exist and that the supposed prescription had actually been signed by a family member who was not a registered doctor.

After that, Aga failed to respond to charges of using methylprednisolone and “tampering” with the anti-doping process, the AIU added, meaning the six-year ban was issued without a hearing.

The 32-year-old runner’s ban includes two years for using the substance and four more for tampering. — AP