Kenyan race walker Stephen Ndangiri Kihu, who won the silver medal behind Australia’s Isaac Beacroft in the men’s 10,000-metre race walk at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, has been provisionally suspended after testing positive for banned substances.
Ndangiri Kihu, 20, reportedly returned an adverse analytical finding for peptide hormones, growth factors and erythropoietin (EPO). He is listed as a provisionally suspended athlete on the official website of the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK), with the sanction recorded on August 5.
The Kenyan athlete was one of the main protagonists in Glasgow, where the race for gold developed into a two-way battle between Ndangiri Kihu and eventual champion Isaac Beacroft. Ndangiri Kihu repeatedly taunted the Australian during the final as the pair fought for victory.
If Ndangiri Kihu is ultimately disqualified and stripped of his silver medal, Canada’s Evan Dunfee would be elevated from bronze to silver, while Australia’s Declan Tingay would move from fourth place to the bronze-medal position.
Only five athletes started the 10,000m race walk final, with Australia’s Tim Fraser later disqualified for technical faults.
The potential medal reshuffle would significantly alter the final standings of an event that was already one of the most closely contested races of the Glasgow Games. The case remains subject to the anti-doping process and any further proceedings involving Ndangiri Kihu.
