The former world marathon record holder Wilson Kipsang has been banned for four years for a series of anti-doping violations – including using a fake photograph of an overturned lorry to justify a missed test. The double London Marathon winner and London 2012 bronze medallist was punished for four whereabouts failures between April 2018 and May 2019. Three such failures within 12 months leads to an automatic ban, however the Kenyan had his sanction increased after it was ruled he had tampered with the investigation by providing “false evidence and witness testimony”. The 38-year-old – who has run 2:03:13 for the marathon, the joint-sixth fastest in history – had claimed he had missed a test in May last year as a result of being caught behind an overturned lorry. But a photograph he produced as evidence was later discovered to have come from an accident that took place more than three months later. A year earlier, Kipsang claimed a landslide caused by heavy rain had led to him missing another test – however investigators found no evidence of inclement weather on the day in question. The Athletics Integrity Unit said: “The athlete engaged in fraudulent and deceitful conduct by providing deliberately misleading and false information to the AIU in an attempt to obstruct and delay the investigation into his explanation and/or prevent normal procedures from occurring, namely the recording of a missed test against him.” Kipsang’s management agency, Volare Sports, said they were considering appealing to the court of arbitration for sport. “Volare Sports and Wilson strongly believe in a clean sport and support anti-doping measures. We emphasise that there is no case of use of doping. No prohibited substance was ever found. We will study and analyse the decision and consider the further legal steps. Pending this process we will not communicate anything more about it.”