The 2008 Olympic Games 1,500m champion Asbel Kiprop's ban ends today and the lanky officer has warned that he is eager for action, like he never left.
The three-time world 1500m champion has vehemently denied any wrongdoing but insists that's water under the bridge as he plots for a future at the top, again.
However, Asbel insists local races will be key if he is to run at the international front for the first time since 2018 when the Athletics Integrity Unit dropped the bombshell.
“Right now I cannot be trusted by many people but I am hoping to start from the beginning, the basics that saw me become a world champion. I started from scratch and that is where I want to start again,” said Asbel.
During an emotional interview in Eldoret, the 2010 African champion said he has been training, alone, at the Eldoret Sports Club and back at his Simat home, in Uasin Gishu County.
“This journey is not as easy as people think. Isolation is not a good thing. Once the freedom has been taken away from you, life changes completely,” said a teary Asbel.
“It has been hell on earth for me but soon I am going to regain my freedom and prove to the world that I did not dope. I am also aware of the challenges facing me even after the ban is over.”
Asbel's return coincides with that of his workmate at NPS Elijah Manang'oi and 2017 world champion, who had his first race at the National Cross Country Championships in Eldoret on January 22 following a two-year ban for three missed tests, whereabouts.
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