Nairobi, Feb 24 (AFP) Suspended Kenyan Olympic 1,500 metres and three-time world champion Asbel Kiprop has announced he is turning his back on athletics to try his hand at motorsport.

The controversial athlete, who is serving a four-year doping ban imposed in April 2019 after he tested positive for EPO, has joined a Nairobi motor-rallying academy with the hope of honing his motorsport skills.

"I am ready to begin again in a sport that doesn't have doping conspiracy," the 30-year-old Kiprop, who waged a long battle to prove his doping innocence, said on Twitter.

"I will be patient again to be able to be champion. I will be climbing this ladder hoping to learn the next game."

Kiprop is known for being a fast driver, resulting in a road crash in November 2013 when he lost control of his vehicle that left him with a few bruises.

Kiprop's entry into motorsport comes only five months before Kenya welcomes the return of the World Rally Championship -- the Safari Rally in July. (AFP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)