Johannesburg – Lesotho Comrades runner Lephetesang Adoro has been confirmed as the second medalist to have tested for a banned substance after this year's marathon.
The SA Institute for Drug Free Sport (Saids) announced that race winner Ludwick Mamabolo and one other athlete had tested positive for banned substances after the annual 89km race between Pietermaritzburg and Durban in June.
The A sample of Adoro, who finished seventh in the race, had been sent to Germany for further testing after initial tests confirmed a high concentration of testosterone.
Khalid Galant, the Saids CEO, said a further confirmation analysis needed to be performed on the sample before the athlete could be named.
“Testosterone is also naturally produced by the body, and when a sample tests positive for testosterone beyond a threshold value (level) it indicates an abnormal level in the body and requires further investigation,” Galant said on Thursday.
“A Carbon Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (CIRMS) analysis is performed to determine whether the high concentration is naturally produced by the body, or artificially introduced through other means.
“Our national doping control laboratory does not yet have the necessary equipment to perform CIRMS analysis on samples, therefore the samples are sent to the doping control laboratory in Cologne, Germany, where they have the requisite equipment and expertise to do the test.”
In addition to the high testosterone levels, Adoro's sample had also tested positive for the banned corticosteroid, prednisone.
Galant said a charge would be filed against Adoro, under the jurisdiction of the Lesotho Olympic Committee or Lesotho's athletics governing body.
The case would be passed on to the Lesotho sports authorities to rule on the matter.
Mamabolo, the first South African to win the Comrades Marathon since 2005, tested positive for methylhexaneamine in June.
He is also set to face a hearing after his B sample tested positive in July. – Sapa