Sabastian Sawe, the reigning London Marathon champion and fastest marathoner in the world this year, has announced a self-imposed anti-doping protocol in partnership with the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) ahead of his upcoming appearance at the Berlin Marathon on Sept. 21.
The move is unprecedented, and importantly, voluntary.
In a statement shared with Citius Mag, Sawe said he and his management team contacted the AIU earlier this summer to establish a rigorous and transparent testing program that would remove any doubts about the legitimacy of his performances.
Testing began on July 25 and will include at least 25 unannounced, out-of-competition controls before race day. All tests are managed independently by the AIU, with no input or knowledge of timing from Sawe or his team. The program is fully funded by adidas, his primary sponsor.
“I am tired of reading what people write in the press and on social media,” Sawe said. “There is always doubt or an accusation when the athlete is a Kenyan. I do, however, recognize that doping is a huge problem in our country. We cannot deny this or avoid the topic. To do so would be a mistake.”
Kenya has been under mounting pressure after a wave of doping cases in recent years. More than 70 athletes from the country have tested positive for banned substances since 2022, with many top performances now viewed through a lens of suspicion.
That pressure escalated last week when the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) charged the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) with non-compliance. Kenya now has 21 days to respond to the allegations or risk losing its WADA privileges, which could include the ability to host international events and access global funding.
For Sawe, who ran 2:02:03 to win in London this April, currently the fastest marathon time in the world in 2025, the initiative appears to be both a statement and a safeguard. In choosing to undergo extensive testing beyond the standard World Athletics protocols, he’s attempting to put distance between himself and the broader crisis in Kenyan distance running.
“To fight the current state of doping, we must shed light on it and the issues surrounding it and work with the sport’s authorities and governing bodies like AIU and World Athletics,” he said. “I feel we must all combat what has become like a cancer for Kenyan athletes.”
The effort is also notable in that it was initiated by the athlete, not mandated by a governing body. Athletes are routinely tested in the weeks leading up to major marathons, but rarely, if ever, do they volunteer for additional testing, let alone a fully independent protocol like this one.
According to the AIU’s published statistics, most elite athletes receive 8 to 12 tests annually. Sawe will surpass that in just two months.
Berlin will be just the third marathon of Sawe’s career. He made a splash with his debut win at the 2023 Valencia Marathon, clocking 2:01:50 to become the fifth-fastest man in history at the time. With eyes on a possible course record and perhaps even a world record, Berlin was already shaping up as a major storyline this fall.
Now, it may also serve as a test case for how elite athletes and sponsors can proactively engage with the sport’s anti-doping apparatus.
“By taking this step, I hope that I not only can serve as an example for other athletes,” Sawe said, “but that people will truly try to address the issue and to try to find lasting solutions. But first, I want to prove that I am clean when I set foot at the start line, and that whatever result comes from my efforts, it is not dragged through the mud because I am Kenyan.”
