Two-time New Zealand Olympian Zane Robertson, who’s serving an eight-year suspension for anti-doping rule violations, was arrested final week in a sexual assault probe at his house in Kenya, the place police say they discovered an unlicensed AK-47 assault rifle and 23 rounds of ammunition.
Robertson—who holds New Zealand’s data within the marathon (2:08:19), the half-marathon (59:47) and the 10K (27:28), was visited by police at his house within the city of Iten in western Kenya on Sept. 20 to query Robertson a few sexual assault criticism made in opposition to the 33-year-old, in line with Kenya’s Commonplace newspaper.
Tom Makori, sub-county police commander, instructed the Commonplace authorities arrived on the home to arrest the runner for questioning in a sexual assault investigation, after a lady claimed she was victimized by Robertson at a home get together the day prior to this. “The suspect has been dwelling in Kenya for a number of years. He has purchased land and constructed his residence. Our preliminary investigations point out that the AK-47 in his possession was unlicensed,” Makori mentioned.
“Police had gone to arrest him for questioning in relation to a sexual assault criticism, however he declined to open the door. Later, after the police gained entry, they found that he was in possession of a gun,” he added.
Police had not launched an replace on when, or if, Robertson shall be formally charged in connection to both the sexual assault probe or the weapons arrest. “We might search extra time to conclude investigations,” mentioned Makori.
The arrest comes precisely one 12 months to the day that the Sports activities Tribunal of New Zealand provisionally suspended Robertson for anti-doping rule violations.
In Might 2022, Robertson examined constructive for erythropoietin (EPO) in the course of the Larger Manchester Run—a discovering later confirmed by B-sample testing. He breached the principles for the presence and use or tried use of the prohibited substance and for tampering, or tried tampering, with any a part of the doping management course of. His try to submit fraudulent paperwork to defend himself then led to him going through one other cost.
In March, the Sports activities Tribunal of New Zealand handed Robertson an eight-year suspension for the violations, making him ineligible to compete till September 2030. Nonetheless, Robertson introduced his retirement from skilled working a month earlier than receiving the eight-year suspension.
Along with breaking nationwide data, the now-disgraced runner had distinguished himself by profitable bronze within the males’s 5,000m on the 2014 Commonwealth Video games in Glasgow. He completed twelfth within the 10,000m on the 2016 Summer time Olympic Video games in Rio and thirty sixth within the 2020 Tokyo Olympic marathon, in 2:17:04.
