Sweat Elite Podcast
Doping, Corruption and Athlete Exploitation in Kenyan & Ethiopian Distance Running
55m
Matt interviews high performance coach Selva Yoga following Selva's earlier public comments on doping in elite distance running. Selva has worked with male athletes holding personal bests ranging from 2:25 down to 2:07 in the marathon, and female athletes as fast as 2:38. He has personally coached athletes from 2:26 down to 2:16 in the marathon.
The conversation breaks down how athletes are caught - in and out of competition testing, missed whereabouts filings, and biological passport irregularities - alongside claims of uneven enforcement. Selva alleges corruption within parts of Kenyan athletics, including bribery, advance warning of tests, falsified medical exemptions, age manipulation, and financial exploitation by managers. He also raises serious concerns around coercion and abuse of young athletes, while repeatedly framing his comments as based on accounts shared with him rather than direct proof.
Matt and Selva also discuss well known training groups and high profile athletes, with Selva careful not to make direct accusations without evidence. He emphasizes that both Kenya and Ethiopia have strong, clean systems operating alongside problematic ones, and that culture, incentives, and financial structures often shape the level of risk. The episode closes with Selva inviting athletes to connect with his Toronto-based Northern Endurance Project.
Links
Northern Endurance Project Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/northern.endurance/
Be coached by Matt: https://www.sweatelitecoaching.com/coaching-2026
Join the Shareholders Club / Private Podcast Feed: https://www.sweatelite.co/shareholders
Matt Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattinglisfox/
Matt Training Log - Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/6248359/
Contact Matt: matt@sweatelite.co
Topics
- 00:00 Podcast comment sparks debate
- 01:23 Coach background and philosophy
- 06:10 Brother Colm and Kipruto ban
- 07:03 Mafias and drug access
- 15:09 Sexual harassment by managers
- 22:22 Athletics Kenya testing reality
- 24:16 Are Kelvin Kiptum and Eliud Kipchoge doping?
- 31:38 How the truth emerges
- 33:42 Was David Rudisha clean?
- 35:12 Coaching ethics and trust
- 37:24 Good coaches in Kenya
- 38:22 Renato Canova under the microscope
- 42:48 How drugs get bought in Kenya
- 49:35 Blame the system, not athletes
- 53:41 Wrap up and contact info
