STATEMENT FROM KENYAN RUNNER BERNARD LAGAT FOLLOWING BEING CLEARED OF DRUG

TAKING ON 1 OCTOBER 2003

I am extremely happy that I have been proven innocent of drug taking and I want to stress again that I have never used any kind of performance-enhancing drug.

I hope this outcome will also remove any suggestion that I have ever taken drugs. I have always, and will continue to do so, unreservedly condemn drug use in sport.

These past weeks have been extremely difficult as the false positive A sample meant that not only did I lose the opportunity to follow my profession and compete for a medal at the World Championships in August but I also found my name connected around the world with drug abuse and cheating, and especially in the news in my home country Kenya, and that is something I found abhorrent.

In order to prevent another innocent athlete having to endure what I have done over the past few weeks, I call upon the International Association of Athletics Federation and World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to suspend this type of testing for EPO (Erythropoietin), the substance I was accused of using.

My experience suggests to me that there are serious flaws with the way the testing is currently being undertaken.

I remain a strong supporter of a comprehensive drug testing policy in athletics in order to identify and punish the few athletes that have been tempted to cheat. However, such a policy needs to be based on fairness, transparency and accuracy and I do not believe that to be the case in the testing for this type of drug.

My plans are now to return to the United States and spend a few days recuperating, mentally as much as physically, from this ordeal. After that, I am looking forward to starting training again with a view to representing my country at the Olympic Games in Athens next summer.

There are still some unresolved matters in this case.

I have suffered economically from not being able to pursue my profession as I would have anticipated and I remain concerned over the way in which this matter entered the public domain. These are issues I will be discussing with my Heidelberg lawyers Dr Michael Lehner and Wolfgang Kreissig in the near future but it would be premature to say specifically what course of action I will be following.

Finally, I would like to thank all my family and friends, my fiancé Gladys, my Coach James Li and my manager James Templeton who stood beside me and gave me their unwavering support, always believing I was innocent, and also the lawyers and scientists who assisted me in proving my innocence.

Bernard Lagat
1 October 2003


Biographical Information:

Bernard Lagat (Kenya)

Place of Birth: Kapsabet, Rift Valley, Kenya
Date of Birth: 12 December 1974
Place of Residence: Tucson, Az, USA
Event: 1500m
Best time: 3:26.34 (2001), Kenyan Record; number two fastest all-time

Career Highlights:

2003: Ranked world no.2 prior to World Championships
2002: World Cup 1500m Gold Medallist
African Championship 1500m Gold Medallist
Kenyan Championship 1500m Gold Medallist
2001: World Championship 1500m Silver Medallist
2000: Olympic Games 1500m Bronze Medallist
1999: NCAA Championships Gold Medallist
World University Games Gold Medallist