Comrades Marathon winner Ludwick Mamabolo who is being probed for possible doping, is a victim of racism, his family said, the Sowetan newspaper reported on Thursday.
"He came second in his first race in 2010 and nothing was probed. Now that he had sacrificed his job and trained to win the race, there are issues. Could that not be about the fact that he is black?" Mamabolo's father was quoted by the paper.
Mamabolo won the 89km ultra-marathon between Pietermaritzburg and Durban on June 3 but has since tested positive for methylhexaneamine.
He was expected to request that his B sample be tested.
Jeremiah Mamabolo said his son had been running for many years and if indeed he was using stimulants, it would have been discovered already.
"Ludwick worked very hard to win the Comrades Marathon this year," he said.
He added that his son was a devoted member of the Zion Christian Church.
The athlete reportedly also denied using any stimulants.
"I didn't take any banned substances...The stuff that I use is what I have normally used throughout the years I have been running Comrades," he told the Sowetan newspaper earlier this week.
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