NAIROBI, Kenya - Rita Jeptoo, a three-time winner of the Boston Marathon and two-time Chicago Marathon champion, was handed a two-year doping ban Friday in a case that has cast a shadow over Kenyas famed distance runners.
[b]Anthony Davis Pelicans Jersey[/b] .Jeptoo tested positive for the blood-booster EPO in an out-of-competition test last September, a few weeks before winning her second straight Chicago Marathon title. Both the A and B samples were positive.Athletics Kenya announced Friday that Jeptoo was suspended from all competition until Oct. 29, 2016. The sanction rules her out of this years world championships in Beijing and next years OIympics in Rio de Janeiro.The 33-year-old Jeptoo is the biggest name among dozens of Kenyan athletes who have failed drug tests in recent years. The World Anti-Doping Agency has urged Kenya to step up its drug-testing program and is working with the east African country to help set up a national anti-doping body.Jeptoo appeared at a disciplinary hearing in Nairobi earlier this month. Also testifying were her estranged partner, Noah Busiendich, Italian manager Federico Rosa and Italian coach Claudio Berardelli.For now, the case of Rita has come to a rest and what remains now for us is to move on, Athletics Kenya president Isaiah Kiplagat told The Associated Press. We shall see how we shall work with the new anti-doping agency of Kenya in partnership to deal with the vice.Jeptoo has already been denied her share of the $500,000 prize for winning the 2013/14 World Marathon Majors.Her positive test has made it very difficult for us, two-time womens marathon world champion Edna Kiplagat said. We keep on being asked about doping every time we go to compete out there and Im hoping that her punishment will make others stop engaging in this bad thing.I hope the (ban) will deter Kenyan athletes to stop taking short cuts, added Kiplagat, who stands to be upgraded to winner of the World Marathon Majors. It will be a lesson for others. Its unfortunate since nobody wants anyone to be banned. If you take something like EPO which is injected as a professional athlete, it is obvious you know what you are putting in your body.Kenya has been under close scrutiny since German broadcaster ARD alleged in 2012 that doping was common among the countrys distance runners.Kiplagat said this month that Athletics Kenya has banned or suspended 32 athletes for doping in the past five years.Our athletes should work hard to ensure we dont bring down what has taken 50 years to build, the 2008 Olympic mens 800-meter champion Wilfred Bungei told the AP on Friday.Anti-doping bodies from Norway and China are helping Kenya set up its own anti-doping agency.Boston Marathon organizers said they would evaluate Jeptoos ban before making any decision on stripping her results in the race.We are deeply disappointed in the findings involving Rita Jeptoo, and we are committed to upholding the integrity and credibility of the Boston Marathon, Tom Grilk, executive director of the Boston Athletic Association, said in a statement.The World Marathon Majors said the winner of the 2013/14 prize would not be determined until the completion of due process in Jeptoos case and the outcome of any appeal. Under WMM rules, any athlete sanctioned for doping is ineligible to win the series title.
[b]Darius Miller Pelicans Jersey[/b] . The Wild, playing their first game since leading scorer Mikko Koivu broke his ankle Saturday at Washington, have won three straight for the first time since Nov. 1-5. Koivu underwent surgery on Monday and is expected to miss at least four weeks.
[b]Frank Jackson Pelicans Jersey[/b] . Sterling was banned for life and fined US$2.5 million by the NBA on Tuesday for racist comments the league says he made in a recorded conversation. Nash, who plays for the rival L.A. Lakers, spoke as a representative of current NBA players at a press conference assembled by Sacramento mayor and National Basketball Players Association adviser Kevin Johnson.PORTLAND, Ore. -- For more than four months, the Portland Winterhawks were invincible on home ice. The Edmonton Oil Kings ended the Winterhawks 25-game home winning streak Friday and closed to within one game of winning their second Western Hockey League championship in three years. Griffin Reinhart and Henrik Samuelsson scored second-period goals as the Oil Kings defeated Portland 3-2 in Game 5 of the WHL finals to take a 3-2 series lead. "Gutsy effort by our guys coming into this building and grinding out a solid road game," said Edmonton coach Derek Laxdal. "I thought our guys were really composed in a huge game." Edgars Kulda scored a first-period power-play goal for Edmonton, and goaltender Tristan Jarry made 37 saves and stood tall during a late Portland charge. "The mindset coming into the series was that wed have to win one on the road," said Reinhart. "Weve been comfortable in close games all year." Paul Bittner and Mathew Dumba scored for Portland, which hadnt lost at home since Jan. 4. Corbin Boes stopped 27 shots in defeat. "I thought we did a lot of good things tonight," said Winterhawks head coach Mike Johnston. "If we repeat that game well be OK in Game 6." Bittner broke a scoreless streak of nearly 132 minutes for the Winterhawks with his fourth goal of the series with 4:32 left in the first period to put Portland up 1-0. Kulda responded with 1:33 left in the first onn the Oil Kings fourth power play of the period.
[b]Nickeil Alexander-Walker Pelicans Jersey[/b]. The Oil Kings took their first road lead of the series on Reinharts goal 2:11 into the second period, then made it 3-1 on Samuelssons fourth goal of the series at 7:39. That score held until Dumba scored with 1:45 left in regulation to pull Portland within one, but the Winterhawks could not find an equalizer down the stretch. "(Edmonton) is good when they have the lead," Johnston said. "They really trapped it up in the third period, but we had seven or eight chances where we shot it over the net, we cut it too fine." Edmonton finished 1 for 5 on the power play, while Portland went scoreless on four chances. The Winterhawks, who had the top power play in the WHL in the regular season, are stuck in an 0-for-15 slump with the man advantage since Game 1. "Were not getting the bounces we want, but if we keep playing the same way we can win 3-2 next time," Bittner said. Edmonton, which beat the Winterhawks in seven games in the 2012 WHL finals, has won three straight games after dropping the first two of the series in Portland. The Winterhawks won last years championship in six games over Edmonton. The Oil Kings can wrap up the series with a win in Sundays Game 6. If Portland wins, the Winterhawks will host Game 7 Monday. "Weve been good at home," said Reinhart. "Were going to put distractions aside and play our best game." ' ' '
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