Last month, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), which combats sports doping, imposed a six-year ban retroactively on Ibrahim Mukunga, meaning he is barred from competition to October 2028.

Mukunga had tested positive for a banned substance in October 2022.

A sample revealed the presence of norandrosterone, a forbidden substance which helps increase muscle mass.

Mukunga claimed he was administered the banned substance during a routine doctor's visit following injury.

The AIU's decision can be appealed.

Speaking in October 2022 when the story first broke, Tiidrek Nurme, said he was "Not defending Mukunga, and I can say that it was certainly foolish for him to allow these substances to be administered."

At the same time, he said he believed Mukunga had acted in good faith.

"It is his responsibility, and he must accept the penalty," Nurme added.

Nurme said that the Kenyan runner had sought treatment from a doctor in Kenya in summer 2022 due to knee pain.

"The doctor reportedly injected him with something, the contents of which he did not know," Nurme added.

Mukunga subsequently had earlier an MRI scan here in Estonia, which revealed a transverse fracture in his kneecap, Nurme said.

Nurme said that such matters of treatment were more "ambiguous" in Kenya than in Estonia where "everything is always documented."

Mukunga won the 2021 Tallinn Marathon with a time of 2:30.43.

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