Triamcinolone overtakes EPO as Kenyan athlete’s favorite dope

Conniving athletes from Kenya have made a slight switch from the much-maligned Erythropoietin (EPO) as a drug of choice to triamcinolone acetonide in their filthy quests to attain fame and fortune, albeit undeserved.

A concerned Athletics Integrity Unit have raised the alarm after the number of Kenyan athletes caught abusing the drug used for treating skin disease and some allergies grew over the past two years.

Ten athletes have been nabbed in the period with the drug in their system. AIU is also flagging Kenyan athletes for rising cases of tampering with anti-doping processes.

In the latest communique banning two more athletes from Kenya (Diana Kipyokei and Betty Wilson Lempus) over doping, AIU said:

“The cases announced today are part of a recent trend in Kenyan athletics regarding triamcinolone acetonide, with ten Kenyan athletes testing positive for that prohibited substance between 2021 and 2022. Within the same time period in athletics globally, there have been just two positive triamcinolone acetonide AAFs for athletes from all other countries. In the four years from 2017 to 2020, there were only three Kenyan AAFs for triamcinolone acetonide.”

Triamcinolone acetonide is a Prohibited Substance under the WADA Prohibited List under the category S9: Glucocorticoids. It is a substance prohibited in-competition when administered via certain routes.

Glucocorticoids are commonly used as therapeutic substances in sports, but are prohibited in-competition because, when administered via prohibited routes, there is clear evidence of systemic effects which could potentially enhance performance and be harmful to health.

The Athletics Integrity Unit runs an extensive anti-doping programme covering more than 300 professional road runners. The programme’s activities – testing, intelligence, investigation, prosecution and education – are funded entirely through contributions from World Athletics and various race organizers.

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