One of the world’s leading middle-distance coaches, Jama Aden, has been arrested in connection with a doping investigation in Spain.
Police arrested the Somalian coach as part of Operación de los Mossos in collaboration with the Spanish anti-doping agency (AEPSAD) at a hotel in Sabadell, 20km north of Barcelona, on Monday morning.
A physiotherapist who was in the hotel was also arrested. It is understood EPO was found in one of the rooms.
Aden is the coach of Ethiopia’s 1500m world record holder Genzebe Dibaba and also works with Ayanleh Soulemain of Djibouti. He also used to coach the reigning men’s 1500m world champion Taouifk Makhloufi of Algeria.
Earlier this year, Dibaba, Souleiman and Abdalelah Haroun, another Aden trained athlete, broke indoor world records in Stockholm in the mile, 1k and 500m. None of those athletes has ever failed a drugs test.
