No cash prize for banned S'pore Marathon winner

The winner of the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon (SCSM) 2024 men's elite race, Geoffrey Yegon, has been banned from the sport for two years after the Kenyan was found to have tested positive for a banned substance.

- Deepanraj Ganesan

In response to queries from The Straits Times, an SCSM spokesperson said that it had been informed by world governing body World Athletics that Yegon "was found to have a banned substance in his system following a post-race test at last December's event and was subsequently banned for two years".

This also means that the 36-year-old runner will not collect the US$45,000 (S$58,400) cash prize.

Noting that all athletes in the elite men's category will be moved up one position, the spokesperson said that "as per event protocols prize money is not distributed until World Athletics finalises all anti-doping results".

According to media reports, Yegon's urine sample from the Dec 1 race tested positive for triamcinolone acetonide, a synthetic steroid which is commonly used for skin conditions.