Legal restrictions on punishing dopers leave Coe frustrated

LONDON, Dec 16 : World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said he was as frustrated as anyone at the farcical situation surrounding the legal world record belonging to banned Kenyan Ruth Chepngetich's marathon but added that the governing body's hands are tied.

Chepngetich's astonishing two hours, nine minutes and 56 seconds run in Chicago in October 2024 remains the legal world record even though she was handed a three-year anti-doping ban this year, with her results expunged only from March.

Her excuse that she took her housemaid's medicine was dismissed by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), which says it is continuing to investigate Chepngetich for other potential violations.

"I share your frustration, but I'm not a lawyer," Coe told journalists in a conference call to review the year in athletics.

"There are some legal challenges that the burden of proof can only be a positive test and evidence that doping infringement was taking place at the time of the performance and if you don't have that it's extremely difficult to extrapolate around other events.

"The AIU does everything that it possibly can, but it does also have to work within legal strictures - however frustrating that is."

Chepngetich was one of a series of high-profile dopers to be caught this year, with elite American sprinters Marvin Bracy, Erriyon Knighton and Fred Kerley also earning suspensions.

This week AIU chairman David Howman, who served as the World Anti-Doping Agency's Director General for 13 years, said the anti-doping system has stalled.

"Intentional dopers at elite level are evading detection. We are not effective enough nowadays in catching cheats ... it is hurting the anti-doping movement's credibility," he said.

Coe, however, was not quite so