French marathon runner Frere to miss Olympics after breaking anti-doping rules

PARIS -- French marathon runner Mehdi Frere will miss his home Olympics after receiving a two-year suspension for breaking anti-doping rules, his lawyer Laurent Fellous confirmed on Tuesday.

Frere, aged 27, had a World Athletics disciplinary tribunal after three missed whereabouts checks in February 2023 and February 2024. Athletes must always disclose their whereabouts so they can submit to out-of-competition doping controls.

Frere had been provisionally suspended by the French Athletics Federation since June, and missed the European championships in Rome.

His name was on the list of qualified athletes for the Paris Olympics issued by the French federation on Sunday, with the condition that Felix Bour would be the alternate if Frere’s situation remained unresolved by the time of the Olympics.

Frere plans to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland, aiming for a resolution before the Olympics. The men's marathon is on Aug. 10.

Frere holds the record for the fastest marathon by a Frenchman, set in Valencia in December 2023 in 2 hours, 5 minutes, 43 seconds.

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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games