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33 Kenyan athletes suspended for doping

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SwimSwam offers a weekly overview of the most important news from Olympic sports (excluding swimming) in the run-up to the 2024 Games in Paris.

KENYA ANTI-DOPING AGENCY SUSPENSES 33 ATHLETES

The Kenya Anti-Doping Agency (ADAK) has suspended 33 athletes for doping, including 26 from athletics, Kenyan newspaper nation reported last week.

The mass suspension takes place according to ADAK boss Sarah Shubutse predicted that 50 athletes would be suspended in November 2023.

The 33 athletes do not yet appear on the provisional suspension list on the ADAK website, but reports suggest they include: Joshua Beletwho won the 2023 Amsterdam Marathon and finished 12th in the world at the event last year. The running channel reported that Belet’s ban was due to “the presence of several substances, including steroids and testosterone.”

In addition to the 26 athletes, three basketball players, three rugby players and one handball player were also suspended.

Also world record holder in the men’s 10 km run Rhonex Kipruto was officially banned for six years after being provisionally suspended in 2023 due to irregularities in his biological passport. A disciplinary committee in Monaco ruled that abnormalities in Kipruto’s blood samples indicated “a deliberate and sophisticated doping regime”.

You can read the whole story here.

BILES ATTRACT HUGE TV CROWD AT US NATIONAL GAMES

After Simone Biles As Biles captured her record-breaking ninth U.S. all-around title at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships last week, ratings suggest that American audiences are excited about Biles and the Olympic lead-up in general.

On Sunday, June 2, Biles and other female stars such as Suni Lee And Skye Blakely competed live on NBC in prime time (7 p.m.) and drew 2,285,000 viewers, compared to 724,000 for the men’s finals — even though those aired as replays earlier in the day. (The men’s final aired live on CNBC on Saturday and drew 208,000 viewers.)

The mass audience comes even though the event is not a selection event for the Olympic Games, as the Olympic gymnastics trials for the USA do not take place until June 27-30 in Minneapolis.

It is worth noting, however, that Biles’ return to competition at the 2023 Nationals attracted an even larger audience (2.66 million).

You can read the whole story here.

MCLAUGHLIN-LEVRONE CLOSELY MISSES AMERICAN 400M RECORD

After setting a world record in the 400-meter hurdles last week, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone continued to show impressive form ahead of the U.S. Olympic track and field qualifiers at the USATF New York City Grand Prix on Sunday.

McLaughlin-Levrone ran the third fastest 400 meters in American history, clocking a time of 48.75 seconds, just five hundredths faster than Sanya Richards-Ross‘ National record set in 2006. McLaughlin-Levrone also has the second-best performance in U.S. history when she hit 48.74 last July.

The 24-year-old reigning Olympic champion in the 400-meter hurdles delivered an outstanding performance despite the incredibly windy weather in New York.

“I just wanted to get out and race,” she said Lewis Johnson At NBC Sports“The wind was a bit interesting on the back straight, but I’m happy with the time.”

McLaughlin-Levrone reiterated that she had no plans to compete in the 400 meters on the flat despite being ranked No. 1 in the world at the Olympic qualifiers. She also did not compete in the 400 meters at the Tokyo Olympics, but was the first runner on the gold medal-winning U.S. women’s 4×400 relay team.

“I’m working on getting home,” she said of Sunday’s race. “I’m going to need that for these hurdles.”

You can read the whole story here.

Noah Lyles dominated in New York too, winning the men’s 200 metres in a time of 19.77 against a headwind of 1.6 m/s – that’s the equivalent of 19.68 in calm conditions. With his time of 19.77, he is ranked 5th in the world rankings this year, tied with fellow American Kenneth Bednarek leads with 19.67.

Lyles has won three consecutive world titles in the 200 metres after taking the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics.

CAITLIN CLARK’S EXIT FROM THE US OLYMPIC CHAMPIONSHIP TRIGGERS MEDIA STORM

The American media was beside itself when the 2024 US women’s basketball team roster was announced and the rising star Caitlin Clark was excluded from the team.

Clark, who is currently in her rookie year with the Indiana Fever of the WNBA and after her record-breaking NCAA career in Iowa, was not named to the veteran-laden U.S. team, which also includes the 42-year-old Diana Taurasi She is seeking her sixth gold medal along with three other women who played on both the 2016 and 2021 teams.

USA Today’s Christine Brennan reported that Clark’s omission may not have been solely due to her on-court abilities.

Los Angeles Times’ Bill Plaschke also addressed that the team needs someone with Clark’s star power to attract viewers.

“What this team needs is a reason for the casual fan to watch,” wrote Plaschke.

“None of that is happening with the current squad. I can confirm that from experience. I have covered the Olympic Games ten times and have rarely ventured to the women’s tournaments because there was little interest and no enthusiasm because solid veterans were playing for a set goal.

“With Clark, everything changes. With Clark, there will be deafening excitement, overwhelming interest, millions will be watching.”

Clark said she is happy for the women who made the team and will use this as motivation for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

“I know it’s the most competitive team in the world, and I know it could have gone either way – that I would have been on the team or not,” she said, according to ESPN“I’ll be rooting for them to win gold. I grew up watching the Olympics as a kid, so it will be fun to watch them.”

“Honestly, no disappointment. It just gives me something to work for; it’s a dream. Hopefully I can be there one day. I think it’s just a little more motivation. It’s something you remember. Hopefully I can be there when I’m back in four years.”

You can read the whole story here.

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