In a text message from his phone that also was posted on a WhatsApp group, the 2008 Olympic champion wrote: “I hope I can prove that I am a clean athlete in every way possible.”
The three-time world champion said he had “read the reports linking me to doping.”
The Daily Mail reported Wednesday that Kiprop failed an out-of-competition test. The newspaper cited “senior athletics sources” but did not name them.
“As an athlete, I have been at the forefront of the fight against doping in Kenya. A fight I strongly believe in and support,” Kiprop wrote. “I would not want to ruin all that I have worked for since my first international race in 2007.”
Kiprop’s agent, Federico Rosa, said Thursday he was “shocked” by the reported failed test.
“It is very, very strange to me after so many years of such an incredible career,” Rosa told The Associated Press in a phone interview.
Rosa said he was travelling when the story broke and that he has since been trying unsuccessfully to speak to his athlete.
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AP Sports Writer John Leicester in Paris contributed to this report.
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