Kenya's former world 1,500 metres silver medallist Bernard Lagat has been cleared of doping and is free to return to competition immediately, the IAAF has announced.
Lagat tested positive for the endurance-boosting drug EPO (Erythropoietin) in a meeting in Germany in August but the second urine sample, or the B sample, tested negative.
The 28-year-old Kenyan had pulled out of the world championships in Paris in August after being informed of the positive test.
Lagat said in a statement: "I am extremely happy that I have been proven innocent of drug-taking and I want to stress again that I have never used any kind of performance-enhancing drug.
"These past weeks have been extremely difficult as the false positive A sample meant that not only did I lose the opportunity to follow my profession and compete for a medal at the world championships in August but I also found my name connected around the world with drug abuse and cheating... and that is something I found abhorrent."
Filed by Sinéad Kissane
