Kenyan Kiptum suspended, won't run in London Marathon

London Marathon organisers said Kenyan Kiptum had left London and will not take part in Sunday's race.

(Reuters)

"The AIU confirms a provisional suspension against Kenyan long-distance runner Abraham Kiptum for an Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) violation under the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) Anti-Doping Rules," the AIU said in a statement.

The passport uses blood tests to detect the likelihood of doping rather than testing for specific substances. The AIU states provisional suspensions are mandatory under IAAF anti-doping rules.

"We have a zero-tolerance policy on doping," London Marathon director Hugh Brasher said in a statement.

"London is part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors and we recently announced a groundbreaking extensive intelligence-driven testing programme.

"This shows the programme is working. Cheats will be caught and there is no place for them in marathon running."

Kiptum, 29, set the half-marathon world record (58 minutes and 18 seconds) in the Valencia half-marathon in Spain last year.

(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)