US-based Kenyan athlete in doping scandal

The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) said yesterday Joseph Mutinda, a Kenyan athlete, has admitted to the use of various prohibited substances and accepted a three-year sanction for his doping offences.

Mutinda, 40, who has trained in Santa Fe, New Mexico, for the past several years, tested positive for 19-norandrosterone (19-NA) above the decision limit of 2.5ng/mL on two separate occurrences.

First, as a result of an in-competition urine sample collected by USADA at the 2014 Austin Marathon & Half Marathon event held in Austin, Texas, on February 16, 2014, and second, as a result of an out-of-competition sample collected by USADA on May 3, 2014.

He also admitted to the use of erythropoietin (EPO) and furosemide.

The substances Mutinda admitted using and those detected in his samples are prohibited under the USADA Protocol for Olympic and Paralympic Movement Testing and the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Anti-Doping Rules, both of which have adopted the World Anti-Doping Code and the World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List.

The 19-NA is a metabolite of an Anabolic Agent, EPO is a substance in the class of Peptide Hormones, Growth Factors and Related Substances, and furosemide is a substance in the class of Diuretics and Other Masking Agents.

Mutinda’s period of ineligibility began on February 16, 2014, the date his first sample was collected at the Austin Marathon. Mutinda finished first in the 2014 Austin Marathon and his result from that competition is disqualified.

In addition, Mutinda has been disqualified from all other competitive results obtained on and subsequent to December 15, 2013, the date from which records show he was first administered EPO, including forfeiture of any medals, points and prizes.