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From Olympic glory to controversial fall: Asbel Kiprop drugged and robbed in Eldoret
10th September, 2026 07:03 AM
Former Olympic 1,500m champion Asbel Kiprop has admitted being drugged at a nightclub in Eldoret recently, confirming he remained unconscious until 3:00 pm the following day.
Kiprop, currently a National Police Service Chief Inspector, has made the revelation after following up on what he has described as the growing use of sleeping drugs in entertainment venues, alongside former Olympic champion David Rudisha. The retired athlete says his latest experience has exposed him to a danger he had previously only heard about.
In a statement, Kiprop said:
“Beauty of our night clubs are unmatched.. I have travelled around the globe, Eldoret is vibe as i may say in about 2 decades of my experience.. But last Friday i experienced what i only hear as per say.. sleeping spike drug.. worse experience to never experience. I slept untill 3pm the following day. This is a charm that needs to be get rid off. Dangerous !”
Kiprop did not identify the establishment where the incident allegedly occurred, disclose what substance he believes was used or provide details of the items he says were stolen. His account therefore remains an allegation and would require police or medical findings to establish exactly what happened.
The latest incident adds another dramatic chapter to the life of one of Kenya’s most celebrated middle-distance runners.
From Olympic glory to a controversial fall
Kiprop rose to international prominence as a teenager and became one of the dominant 1,500m runners of his generation.
He was awarded the 2008 Olympic 1,500m gold medal after Bahrain’s Rashid Ramzi was stripped of the title for a doping offence. Kiprop subsequently established himself as a world-class athlete, winning three consecutive World Championship titles in 2011, 2013 and 2015. His 1,500m personal best of 3:26.69, set in Monaco in 2015, remains one of the fastest times ever recorded over the distance.
However, his career took a dramatic turn after an out-of-competition sample collected in November 2017 returned positive for erythropoietin (EPO).
Kiprop strongly denied intentionally doping and launched a series of allegations surrounding the testing process. The Athletics Integrity Unit ultimately upheld the anti-doping case, and he was handed a four-year ban in 2019.
The episode became particularly contentious because Kiprop alleged that officials involved in his sample collection had behaved improperly. The AIU rejected his wider claims while confirming the anti-doping violation.
His struggles did not end with the ban
The period surrounding his suspension also saw Kiprop become increasingly outspoken and controversial away from athletics.
At one point, he made threatening comments towards the National Police Service and the sport’s governing authorities on social media during his battle over the doping case.
His personal life also came under intense public scrutiny after an intimate video involving him and a friend’s wife became public. Kiprop later described himself as being in a desperate emotional state and acknowledged that he had been struggling to deal with the attention surrounding his life after the doping ban.
Those episodes contributed to the transformation of Kiprop’s public image from one of Kenya’s brightest athletics stars into a figure frequently associated with controversy.
A fresh warning from Eldoret
His latest account, however, concerns a different issue: safety in nightlife.
Kiprop’s claim that he was rendered unconscious for hours after allegedly being given a sleeping substance raises concerns beyond his personal experience. He described Eldoret’s nightlife as vibrant, drawing from his years of travelling around the world, but warned that the alleged use of drugs on unsuspecting revellers could have potentially serious consequences.
His reference to following up on the issue with David Rudisha suggests the two former Olympic champions are seeking to draw attention to what they believe could be a wider public-safety problem.
The allegation is particularly significant in Eldoret, a city synonymous with Kenyan athletics and home to generations of elite runners. The wider region has also attracted international attention over the years because of the large athletics community based around Eldoret and nearby Iten. Reporting on Kenya’s anti-doping environment has previously highlighted the extensive network of clinics, pharmacies and other businesses serving the athletics population in the region.
