Kibiwott Kandie, former world half-marathon record-holder, suspended for doping

Kibiwott Kandie, a 28-year-old Kenyan athlete and a former world half-marathon record-holder, is accused by the Athletics Integrity Unit of “evading, refusing, or failing to submit to sample collection.”

He has been given a provisional suspension for violating anti-doping rules five years after setting a new world half-marathon record. In Valencia, at the end of the 2020 season, he clocked 57:32, taking nearly 30 seconds off the previous record.

Kandie is the latest high-profile Kenyan athlete to be penalised for doping. 

Kandie’s athletic performance 

In addition to his now-broken half-marathon record, which was surpassed by Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda with a time of 56:42, Kandie won a silver medal at the 2020 World Half-Marathon Championships. He also claimed victories in major half-marathon races in Prague, Istanbul, and Ras al Khaimah.

The athlete’s personal best over 10km is 26:50, set in 2022, while his marathon best stands at 2:04:48, achieved in 2023. 

Kandie also made his mark on the track by winning a bronze medal in the 10,000m at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. 

He was also a member of the Kenyan team that won gold in the senior men’s race at the 2023 World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst.