Another soldier down is a common phrase among soldiers in combat use when one of them falls in battle.
This phrase aptly captures the recent doping cases involving Lucy Kabuu. Their case have one common denominator, they both hail from the Rosa and Associati camp.
One year ago we covered Dr. Gabriele Rosa in an expose detailing how his camp had over the years produced champions as well as the highest number of athletes found to have used enhancing drugs. The recent cases of Kabuu who joined Rosa’s camp in January tested positive for narcotic morphine in April. Until then, Kabuu had been an athlete competing honestly for over 15 years without any involvement with banned substances. It is not wrong to assume that her positive test can be linked to her joining the camp.
Hon. Wesley Korir former Boston Marathon champion had this to say about the latest doping scandal involving Lucy Kabuu from the Rosa camp, “I will be vindicated one day when I say that the biggest problem in Kenya doping menace is Rosa and associates and the only way to truly fight doping in Kenyans is to ban this agency from representing Kenyans. Ask when did Kabuu join this agency and immediately she is doping?
So the question to be answered is who is protecting Dr. Rosa? Why is this camp so important to Kenya despite the negative image it has painted of Kenya, a country that has been known as an athletics powerhouse but now every win is being questioned by the world?
Some of the high level names include Rita Jeptoo, Jemima Sumgong, Mathew Kisorio and Agatha Jeruto. The most recent high level athlete has been Asbel Kiprop. The coach under who these names were found to test positive for banned substances was Claudio Beraddelli.
In 2015 Athletics Kenya banned Rosa Associati and Volare Sports for six months as they investigated their roles in doping cases but were later lifted under unclear circumstances by AK.
Many questions arises about this man Dr. Rosa, how powerful is he that he manages to get his way through this doping issues? Has Athletics Kenya shielded the alleged peddlers of doping in Kenya, Rossa Associati, for a long time? Does Dr. Rosa fund Athletics Kenya? Does he have insiders at the IAAF that shield him and his athletes?
According to his website (www.rosassociati.it) the stable has 69 and 35 top notch athletes from around the world. The stable has names like Nijel Amos, Asbel Kiprop, Lonyangata Paul,Stanley Biwott,Lilesa Feyisa Gemeche,Belay Tigist Gashaw,Getent Tigest Mekonen,Yalew Genet and Jemima Sumgong just to name the few.
He has one of the biggest athletes stable in the world with the biggest names in athletics world from the likes of former world record holder and Kenya’s legend Paul Tergat to the current crop of emerging runners the likes of Tuei Sandrafelis Chebet a junior champion.
