MONACO -- One of the world's leading marathon runners, Ruti Aga, has been banned for six years after track and field's anti-doping investigators found she submitted a fake prescription to explain a failed drug test.
The Ethiopian runner won the Tokyo Marathon in 2019 and has reached the podium at the Berlin and New York marathons. She tested positive for the banned substance methylprednisolone after winning a half marathon in China in March, the Athletics Integrity Unit said Thursday.
Aga said she had been given the substance by a doctor in Ethiopia to treat knee pain, but the AIU said it found the clinic named on the document didn't exist and that the supposed prescription had actually been signed by a family member who wasn't a registered doctor.
After that, Aga failed to respond to charges for the use of methylprednisolone and "tampering" with the anti-doping process, the AIU said, meaning the six-year ban was issued without a hearing. The 32-year-old runner's ban includes two years for the use of the substance and four more for tampering.
