Kenyan Kipyegon Bett, bronze medalist in the 800 meters at the 2017 World Championships in London, died on Sunday, at the age of 26, of kidney and liver failure, his family announced on Monday.
Deprived of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and the 2022 World Championships after being found guilty of doping, Bett “had a depression and started drinking heavily,” his sister, Purity Kirui, told AFP on Monday.
The 2016 under-20 world champion in Bydgoszcz, Poland, Bett was one of Kenya’s most promising middle-distance runners.
But he was suspended for four years in August 2018 by the World Athletics Integrity Unit after testing positive for the performance-enhancing drug erythropoietin. He always denied having used this product which stimulates blood circulation.
“We tried to encourage him to return to the track after the end of his suspension in August 2022”, without success, added his sister.
Bett was first hospitalized in his hometown of Kericho a week ago. He was readmitted Friday after a worsening of his health.
“He had kidney problems,” Purity Kirui said. “But the doctors realized that his liver was also causing problems. These two organs were failing. »
In 2017, in addition to his bronze medal at the Worlds, Kipyegon Bett won the 800 meters at the Shanghai meeting, a Diamond League event.
Kenyan athletics has been plagued by doping for many years. Several dozen athletes from this East African country have been subject to sanctions in the last three years alone.