Banned New Zealand Olympic runner Zane Robertson was arrested and detained in Kenya over allegations of sexual assault and possession of an unlicensed AK-47 assault rifle and ammunition at his home in the East African nation, police said.
Police obtained a court order to keep Robertson in custody for fivedays while they question him and investigate. He appeared in a courtroom overnight for a short hearing. Police said he would be charged under the sexual offenses act and for illegal possession of a firearm after the investigation is complete.
Robertson was arrested Thursday at his home in the town of Iten in western Kenya, one of the world’s most famous training bases for long-distance runners. He and his twin brother moved to Kenya as teenagers years ago to pursue their running ambitions.
Robertson, 33, is currently serving an eight-year ban from track and field for testing positive for the banned performance-enhancing substance EPO and for making up an elaborate story about a Covid-19 vaccination gone wrong in an attempt to explain his failed doping test.
The criminal allegations against Robertson stem from a party at his home in Iten on Tuesday night local time at which a woman said she was sexually assaulted, Keiyo Sub County Police Commander Tom Makori said. An unidentified Kenyan citizen was also arrested and will also face charges, police said.
Police found an unlicensed AK-47 and 23 rounds of ammunition in Robertson’s house when they searched it after occupants initially refused to let police inside, Makori said. Robertson left the property in handcuffs and with a blanket over his head.
The court allowed for Robertson to be taken to hospital, as requested by his lawyer according to reports.
“The suspect has been living in Kenya for several years,” the police commander told Kenya’s Standard newspaper.
“He has bought land and built his residence. Our preliminary investigations indicate that the AK-47 in his possession was unlicensed.”
The Hamilton-born Robertson holds Oceania and New Zealand long-distance records and won bronze in the 5000m at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. He also competed in the marathon at the Tokyo Olympics two years ago.
When approached for comment a spokesperson for Athletics NZ said: “Zane is currently serving an eight-year drug ban and has no association with the sport or Athletics NZ.”
New Zealand's Zane Robertson. Photo / Getty Images
Robertson was suspended by the Sports Tribunal for eight years after a prohibited substance was found in his system. He also tampered, or tried to tamper, with part of the doping control process, the Sports Tribunal announced.
The tribunal banned him for four years for the presence and use or attempted use of the prohibited substance Erythropoietin (EPO) and another four for tampering.
Speaking on the podcast Runner’s Only with Dom Harvey, Robertson opened up about why he decided to cheat, claiming it was a “one-off”.
“It’s been a pretty depressing and devastating day for me,” he said on the podcast.
“There’s many reasons and it’s just not one particular reason. I hate it so much that it’s just a one-off hit and I got caught. It’s been building on me for a few years. Frustration and anger at the sport itself and any elite sports, I just believe it’s not a level playing field like they say.
“I started to ask myself this question: why do people like myself always have to be the ones to lose or suffer. In the end, lose our contracts, lose our income, lose our race winnings, and eventually give up not having the ability to have a family ... that was one reason.”
He added that personal and professional troubles – including a “nasty divorce” – also drove him towards doping.
“The other [reason], especially after the Covid era, prize money and races went down. Contracts were almost dropped as well. After the Olympics I was told by one of my companies we thought you would run better, and an immediate exit from the deal.
“Nothing was seeming to go my way. I had a lot of background noise away from the running year as well ... I spent a lot of my life savings just trying to survive. I was providing for myself and my wife at the time ... we already knew we were going to go through a divorce period. It was a nasty divorce proceeding.
“Some things led to another and a lot of stress was placed on me. I made some bad decisions in a really dark time.”
The 33-year-old said his attempt to cover up the result during the doping process, which added another four years to his suspension, was his last-ditch attempt to save his career.
“I want to take full blame for that as well. That was my idea. To me four years is the same as eight. It’s the end of my career. There’s no coming back from this and I knew. I was just trying to save my arse.”
Known for training in Kenya with his twin brother Jake, he moved up to the marathon distance, finishing 36th at the Tokyo Olympics.
