Doping lies that cost Tabitha Gichia Wambui a 7-year ban

• World Anti-Doping Agency banned her for seven years
• She tested positive for a prohibited substance, norandrosterone
• She lied that she got it out of a headache and weakness treatment

Tabitha Gichia Wambui got a seven-year ban from the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) for violating the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) Anti-Doping Rules.

This is after testing positive for the presence of the prohibited substance, norandrosterone and for manipulating the anti-doping procedure.

Wambui claimed to have received the testosterone booster injection while in the hospital for “a headache and general bodily weakness.”

However, the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) discovered her deception and performed analysis. It resulted in an adverse analytical finding for Norandrosterone, a metabolite of Nandrolone, which is a prohibited substance under the World Anti-doping Code (“WADC”) and the ADR, in violation of rules 2.1 and 2.2.

Tabitha Gichia Wambui doping. Photo/Inside The Games

Adak’s inquiry revealed that, contrary to what was shown in Wambui’s medical records, she did not visit the hospital on the specified dates. The 37-year-old athlete admitted to the crime that led to the cover-up and interfering with the anti-doping procedure.

Wambui received eight years total, four for the failed test and four for tampering, with one year taken off for her guilty plea.

All of her previous results, including her triumph at the Pozna Half Marathon in Poland on October 17, 2020, have been nullified because of the ban, which was retroactively effective as of September 19, 2021.

After finishing fourth in the Kenyan 1500-meter race trials for the 2015 World Championships at the Moi International Sports Centre in Kasarani, Nairobi, Wambui was cut from the team.

Sports doping refers to using illegal drugs or other methods to gain an unfair competitive advantage.

Many of these chemicals are banned in sports because they can have detrimental and long-lasting impacts on users, which is why doping is forbidden.

Different types of doping exist, such as those that boost performance. Stimulants are included in this. This category includes hormonal anabolic steroids, beta-2 agonists, narcotics, diuretics, and cannabinoids.

Physical performance enhancers make up the second type of doping. Two additional categories emerge blood doping and genetic doping.

Blood doping is the procedure of blood transfusion boosting the Red blood cells. Blood doping boosts haemoglobin and permits a bigger amount to feed an athlete’s muscles. Long-distance competitions, in particular, can benefit from this as it increases endurance.

Doping history. Photo/Elgalabwater

Gene doping refers to the illicit use of cells, genes, genetic components, or the manipulation of gene expression in order to gain performance advantage in athletics.

Boosting lean muscle mass, blood flow, stamina, and overall resistance increases performance. Nothing unnatural gets absorbed into the bloodstream under those conditions.

So officials discover nothing in blood or urine test. For example, the kidneys and the liver are frequent targets for viruses. Therefore only samples gathered from these places potentially lead to detection.

While other sports are equally demanding, doping is more prevalent in athletics. The purpose of their use in doping is to increase muscle mass and lean body weight.

These drugs are administered orally or intravenously, and often patients take multiple formulations at once to achieve optimal results.