Olympic marathon champion Sumgong banned 8 years

MONACO (AP) - Olympic marathon champion Jemima Sumgong has banned for eight years after being accused of lying at an earlier doping hearing.

Sumgong was already banned for four years after testing positive for the banned substance EPO in 2017, but is now out of action until 2027 after an arbiter ruled she deliberately produced false records of a hospital visit to explain the failed drug test.

Sumgong turned 34 last month, making it unlikely she will return to elite-level running when her ban ends.

Sumgong, who overturned another doping case on appeal in 2012, became the first Kenyan woman to win the Olympic marathon when she took gold in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. She won the London marathon the same year.

___

More AP sports: https://apnews.com/tag/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports