Seb Coe has defended Ruth Chepng’etich’s world record and explained why it is difficult to defend athletes from such attacks.
World Athletics president Seb Coe has criticized the public for doubting Ruth Chepng’etich’s marathon world record despite the stringent measures that have been placed by the Athletics Integrity Unit for countries in Category A of doping.
The elite athletes from Category A are subjected to many tests compared to the athletes from the categories with a lower risk of doping. When Ruth Chepng’etich broke the world record at last year’s Chicago Marathon, the public did not welcome it with both arms.
The pre-race conference was marred by doping conversations and even after that, people had opinions accusing her of doping. In the race, Ruth Chepng’etich became the first woman to go under 2:10, clocking an impressive 2:09:56 to cross the finish line.
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Speaking at a press conferment at the Riadha House in Nairobi, Kenya, on Wednesday, Seb Coe revealed that such conversations have been there since time immemorial and the public always feel the need to criticize world records.
He explained that during his time as an athlete, every world record he broke was clouded by false claims and doubts but he had to keep showing up.
“I was an elite-level competitor, I broke 12 world records and every time I broke them, there was conjecture,” Seb Coe told reporters.
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“It’s inevitable, I don’t think this is unique to this year, people have always questioned great athletes. When I took nearly half a second from the 800m world record, it stayed for 18 years, that wasn’t without conjecture.”
He lauded the efforts of the Athletics Integrity Unit to ensure that the athletes are tested as many times as possible ahead of major championships.
Seb Coe noted that it is unfortunate that such is happening to date despite the sport having evolved and great steps undertaken by the relevant authorities.
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“So, I think that the athletes and the public should have much more confidence so that when a world record is broken, and an athlete is an international athlete and they are registered in the testing pool and tested regularly before major championships, those are the qualifications,” Seb Coe revealed.
“We need to take athletes from that conjecture but it’s very difficult because that has always been the case.
“What I think is that the AIU is doing things that we’ve never done before in a much more structured way and purposeful like and I genuinely think, when an athlete breaks a world record in an elite group, they are probably being tested more.”
Seb Coe remains steadfast in defending Ruth Chepng’etich’s world record, emphasizing that scepticism over elite performances is nothing new.
As the sport continues to evolve, the International Olympic Committee presidential candidate believes that great performances should be celebrated rather than clouded by doubt, reinforcing his confidence in the integrity of today’s top competitors.
