Spain’s Mohamed Katir, the 2023 5000m silver medalist, already suspended for failed drug tests, has received another ban for falsifying documents to mislead doping investigators.
Katir, 26, was previously banned until February 2026 for failing three drugs tests in a 12-month period.
He has now received a further four-year suspension, which runs concurrently with the two-year ban and expires in February 2028.
Katir falsified an itinerary, boarding pass and booking confirmation “in an attempt to mislead investigators as they investigated the veracity of his explanation” for failing a drug test on February 28, 2023.
“Gone are the days in athletics when explanations offered in anti-doping cases are only accepted at face value,” AIU chief Brett Clothier said in a press release.
This past February, Katir accepted a two-year ban after failing to attend out-of-competition drug tests on February 28, April 3 and October 10, 2023 at his registered locations.
Katir also took the 1500 m bronze at the 2022 World Championships. He was the world’s second fastest 1500 m runner in 2023 with the best time during the year.
