New Zealand record holder and Olympic runner Zane Robertson received an eight-year ban from “all sport” after testing positive for Erythropoietin (EPO), according to a press release Drug Free Sport New Zealand shared with Runner’s World. He won’t be eligible to compete again until 2030.
After testing at the UK’s Great Manchester Run in May 2022, Robertson’s sample returned positive for EPO, a type of doping that appears World Anti-Doping Agency’s Prohibited List. EPO increases performance by boosting red blood cells. The competitor’s positive result was later confirmed in B-sample testing.
“Doping denies clean athletes the chance to excel on a level playing field,” said Nick Paterson, Chief Executive of Drug Free Sport New Zealand. “Mr Robertson’s actions are not just deeply disappointing, but undermine the high levels of sporting integrity we see and expect from athletes who represent our country.”
The runner also faces an additional charge of “Tampering with Doping Control” after his defense documents were found to be fraudulent. He told the anti-doping authorities that his positive EPO was due to visiting a Kenyan medical facility for a COVID-19 vaccination, where he alleged he was instead treated for COVID-19, according to additional reporting from The Guardian. Robertson also claimed that he explicitly told his doctors that he was an athlete and couldn’t receive any doping substances and collected affidavits from two of his physicians at the hospital.
The vice president of the medical facility in Kenya denied that Robertson received EPO, adding that the athlete hadn’t even visited the facility on the alleged date. Robertson has now stopped contesting the sanctions. The 33-year-old announced his retirement in February.
In his tenure representing New Zealand, Robertson earned the national record for both the half marathon and the marathon, which he completed in 59:47 and 2:08:19, respectively. He also represented New Zealand in the 2016 Olympics, where he crossed the finish line 12th in the 10,000 meters.
Per his social media, Robertson is now onto the next phase of his running life. “I’m enjoying running for what it is, fun, enjoyment, fitness, runners high. I’m not a professional runner anymore, although I’m still keeping up with the best. I have no plans on future events currently,” he wrote in a caption.
Kells McPhillips is a health and wellness journalist living in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared in Runner's World, The New York Times, Well+Good, Fortune, Shape, and others.
