Kenyan sprinter Mark Otieno has confirmed that his two-year doping ban has been lifted.
Otieno, 30, said he hoped to bounce back strongly after a harrowing experience that left him in the cold for two good seasons.
"In less than 12 hours, I will be eligible to compete again," Otieno said."
Mine is a story of God's faithfulness and mercies," he added.
Otieno acknowledged the reality that he will not be able to make it to the 2023 World Championship in Budapest, Hungary but noted that he would take a stab at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
"The thought of missing out on the World Championships is really frustrating but I hope to race in Paris next year. That's probably going to be my first major global race on my return," he said.
Mark was handed a backdated ban by the Athletics Integrity Unit due to the presence of the prohibited substance Methasterone in his system.
The 100m sprinter failed a doping test at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan where he was set to participate in the preliminaries.
However, Team Kenya requested Sample ‘B’ analysis after Mark claimed innocent, suspecting there had been laboratory contamination.
The incident prompted the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Heritage to issue a statement on the matter maintaining Government’s commitment to the fight against doping.
Otieno maintained his innocence in a statement via his social media accounts, saying he "would never engage in any activity that would jeopardize me or my teammates."
"Representing my country in the Olympics is a dream that I have had for many years and it is truly devastating that this dream and the trust all my supporters and country have placed in me has been cut short."
He subsequently requested a re-analysis of his 'B' urine sample.Team Kenya suspected there had been laboratory contamination and had appealed.
Otieno said he was hopeful to continue with his career after clearing his name. Otieno was part of the Kenyan team that graced the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and the 2017 World Championships in London.
He flew the country's flag at the 2015 All-Africa Games and the 2016 and 2019 African Championships.
Kenya is currently classified as Category A (most at risk) on the World Athletics and World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) watch list.
