Kenya’s Fast-Rising Athlete Suspended Over Doping Days After Winning Silver Medal
A Kenyan athlete has been suspended for doping just five days after winning a silver medal at the recent Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, in a dramatic turn of events for one of the country’s rising race-walking stars.
Stephen Ndangiri Kihu was provisionally suspended by the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) this week over the alleged presence of a prohibited substance.
The suspension came days after the 20-year-old made history by winning silver in the men’s 10,000m race walk at the Commonwealth Games on July 31.
ADAK’s records list the charge as the presence of a prohibited substance under S2, which covers peptide hormones, growth factors, and related substances, including erythropoietin (EPO).
“The presence of a prohibited substance under S2, covering peptide hormones, growth factors, related substances and mimetics/erythropoietin (EPO),” ADAK confirmed.
According to EssentiallySports, the charge against Kihu relates to an alleged EPO violation, with the athlete listed among those provisionally suspended by ADAK.
However, the sample linked to the case was collected on June 30, well before Kihu travelled to Glasgow for the Commonwealth Games.
The sample was reportedly taken during an out-of-competition test at Team Kenya’s residential training camp at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani.
Kihu had entered the Commonwealth Games after a strong turnaround in the 2026 season.
He finished 42nd at the World Race Walking Team Championships in Brasília in April before winning silver in the men’s 20km race walk at the African Championships in Accra.
He then secured his place on the Commonwealth Games team after winning the men’s 10,000m race walk at the national trials at Nyayo Stadium on June 19.
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Kihu clocked 39:14.0 to finish ahead of experienced race walker Samuel Gathimba and earn his ticket to Glasgow.
At the Commonwealth Games, he improved further, clocking 38:46.57 to win silver behind Australia’s Isaac Beacroft, who took gold in 38:45.51.
The performance also saw Kihu break the Kenyan national record of 39:23.14 set by Gathimba at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
Kihu has not, however, been found guilty of an anti-doping rule violation and remains entitled to challenge the allegation through the established process.
The latest case adds to recent doping concerns in Kenyan athletics.
In June 2026, world-renowned Kenyan distance runner Kibiwott Kandie received a seven-year ban from the Athletics Integrity Unit.
Kenyan Fast-Rising Athlete Suspended Over Doping Days After Winning Silver Medal
