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)

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