Former London Marathon winner Daniel Wanjiru has been provisionally suspended following an alleged anti-doping violation.
Wanjiru's sanction was announced by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), which confirmed he has been charged with use of a prohibited substance.
The 27-year-old won the London Marathon in 2017 and was also victorious in the 2016 Amsterdam Marathon.
As things stand, Wanjiru is prohibited from participating in competition until a hearing has taken place.
Announcing the suspension on Twitter, the AIU wrote: "The AIU has provisionally suspended marathon specialist Daniel Kinyua Wanjiru of Kenya with immediate effect for an Athlete Biological Passport violation under the @worldathletics Anti-Doping Rules."
In a statement released by his management company Volare Sports, Wanjiru protested his innocence, adding that he has "never used doping".
Wanjiru is also quoted as saying: "This statement comes from the heart. I am clean in the sports I do. The ABP (athlete biological passport) finding is confusing and frustrating me. Specialists have informed me about how this can happen and I have come to realise there can be hundreds of reasons found why HB is fluctuating.
"I feel I am already seen as a sinner of doping, but I am not. I am innocent."
