Tokyo marathon champ Ruti Aga is out for six years after investigators say her doping excuse rested on a fake prescription and a clinic that didn't exist.
Ethiopian distance star Ruti Aga has been handed a six-year ban, a massive blow for one of the biggest names in African marathon running. The Athletics Integrity Unit announced the sanction on Thursday after finding she had submitted a forged prescription to explain a failed drug test.
Aga, who won the 2019 Tokyo Marathon and has stood on the podium at both the Berlin and New York marathons, tested positive for the banned substance methylprednisolone after winning a half-marathon in China in March. Her results at the highest level made the fall even more dramatic.
The cover story is what turned this into a long ban. Investigators determined that the clinic named in her paperwork did not exist. The prescription had also been signed by a family member rather than a qualified doctor. That finding of a fabricated explanation is what separated this case from a routine positive test.
For Ethiopian athletics, which has produced generations of distance-running royalty, the news lands hard. A six-year suspension leaves Aga's future in the sport in serious doubt and serves as a stark warning that anti-doping authorities will dig into every excuse an athlete offers.
