Former world marathon record holder Wilson Kipsang was yesterday handed a provisional ban for doping by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU).
The 37-year-old Kenyan was suspended “for whereabouts failures and tampering”, both violations of World Athletics’ anti-doping rules, the AIU announced on Twitter. Kipsang claimed the world record when clocking 2hr 3min 23sec in the 2013 Berlin marathon. He won the London marathon in 2012 and 2014, when he also won in New York, and he claimed bronze at the 2012 London Olympics.
It is not the first time he has fallen under the doping radar. In September 2014 he escaped punishment when he missed an out-of-competition drug test.
He risks a two-year ban for this latest infringement, if proven. The development was the latest blow for Kenyan athletics ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as he joins the growing list of Kenyan athletes who have been suspended for doping offences. 
Forty-three athletes, including the women’s 2016 Olympic marathon champion Jemima Sumgong and three-time world 1,500m winner Asbel Kiprop were handed four-year suspensions, and last year the half marathon world record holder Abraham Kiptum was provisionally suspended for irregularities in his biological passport. Kenya came close to being banned from the Rio Games in 2016.
Meanwhile Reigning world outdoor 100m hurdles champion Nia Ali and reigning Olympic 100m hurdles champion Brianna McNeal will meet in a 60m hurdles showdown at the Boston Indoor Grand Prix, organizers announced Thursday.
The January 25 meet is the opener of the seven-event World Athletics Indoor Tour, which also includes stops in Germany, Poland, Britain, France and Spain over January and February.
The US hurdles stars could be getting an early rehearsal for a matchup at the Tokyo Olympics as well as the World Indoors in March at Nanjing, China. 
Ali completed a second maternity leave comeback last year by capturing the world title at Doha in a personal best of 12.34 seconds while McNeal was disqualified for a false start in qualifying.
McNeal won the 2013 world 100 hurdles crown at Moscow and took silver at the 2016 World Indoors behind Ali before edging runner-up Ali for gold later that year at the Rio Olympics.
Reigning world 800m champion Donavan Brazier will compete in the 600m at Boston. The 22-year-old American won the Diamond League 800 crown last year and captured the world title in an American record 1:42.34.