Former All-African Games winner Kasait in doping trouble

The 2019 African Games 5000m champion Lilian Kasait has been handed a 10-month ban by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) after testing positive for a prohibited substance- Letrozole2.

In a statement, AIU said an out-of-competition sample collected from the athlete on January 22, 2022 tested positive for the substance which the athlete acknowledged that she committed an anti-doping rule violation.

Letrozole, a substance used in the treatment of breast cancer, is on the banned drug list of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) which describes it as an aromatase inhibitor that can act as a hormonal and metabolic stimulant.

While the athlete has been sanctioned for 10 months, her ban has been backdated to April 19 and thus she will now serve a ban for a period of five months. However, her results from January 20 will be disqualified.

“Taking into consideration how promptly the Athlete admitted the ADRVs upon notification in the specific circumstances of this case, the Parties agree that the period of Ineligibility shall be backdated so the Athlete will serve one-half of the ten (10)- month period i.e., five (5) months, from the date of the Case Resolution Agreement (i.e., 19 September 2022) until 18 February 2023.” Part of the statement from AIU read.

Kasait has represented the country in major championships including the 2019 World Championships in Doha and the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.

The 25-year-old bagged gold at the 2013 World Under-18 Championships in Donetsk, Ukraine before clinching silver a year later during the World Under-20 Championships in Oregon, USA.

At the senior level she also bagged bronze at the 2017 World Cross Country Championships in Kampala before taking gold at the 2019 African Games in Rabat, Morocco.