Kipyegon Bett, a 26-year-old Kenyan former world 800 meters bronze medallist, died on Sunday of renal and liver failure, according to his family. Bett was one of Kenya’s most promising middle-distance runners, but the World Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) banned him for four years in August 2018 after testing positive for the performance-enhancing chemical erythropoietin (EPO). He denied ever utilizing the blood-boosting medication.
His ban prevented him from competing in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon. “He fell into despair and began drinking heavily. We tried to urge him to return to the track once his suspension ended in August 2022, but he did not put out any effort.
Kirui stated that Bett had been admitted to the hospital in his hometown of Kericho, western Kenya, a week before his death. He was later freed but was readmitted on Friday after his condition deteriorated.
“He had been having problems with his kidneys,” she stated.
“But later the doctors realized that his liver was failing as well and they prescribed some drugs for him on the first visit to the hospital, only for the doctors to discover that both of his organs had failed before he passed on Sunday at 11 am.” Bett won the world Under-20 800m title in Bydgoszcz, Poland, in 2016 and finished third at the 2017 World Championships in London.
He had already proved his abilities earlier in 2017, when he won the Shanghai Diamond League event, defeating a strong field that featured compatriot David Rudisha, the 2012 Olympic gold medalist and world record holder, who placed fourth. Several doping scandals have harmed Kenya’s reputation as a track and field superpower.