Roberto Barbi (born 25 March 1965), born in Switzerland but Tuscan of

Bagni di Lucca Bagni di Lucca (formerly Bagno a Corsena) is a comune of Tuscany, Italy, in the Province of Lucca with a population of about 6,100. The comune has 27 named frazioni (wards). History Bagni di Lucca has been known for its thermal springs since th ...

, is a former

Italia Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the Italy (geographical region) ...

n long-distance runner who specialized in the marathon. He was banned from sports for life in 2009, after his second EPO positive.

Biography

He finished twentieth in the marathon event at the 1999 World Championships, and 37th at the 1999 World Half Marathon Championships. He also competed at the 2001 World Championships, but was disqualified. His personal best marathon time was 2:10:12 hours, achieved in October 2000 in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...

. He had 1:02:09 hours in the

half marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish or shortcut ...

, achieved in April 1999 in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

Doping

In 1996 Barbi tested positive for

Ephedrine Ephedrine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is often used to prevent low blood pressure during anesthesia. It has also been used for asthma, narcolepsy, and obesity but is not the preferred treatment. It is of unclear benefit in ...

and was subsequently handed a three-month ban from sports. In 2001 he tested positive for EPO in a sample collected 30 July, the day he'd arrived in Edmonton for the

2001 World Athletics Championships The 8th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada between 3 August and 12 August and was the first time the event ...

.Eugenio Capoacqua
Barbi, tutto sul doping La mia vita con l' epo
La Repubblica, 12 July 2002 His result from the marathon was disqualified, and he received a four-year ban from sports. The ban was later reduced to 25 months, after he cooperated with the Italian anti-doping authorities and police, giving detailed information about his doping. He admitted to have used EPO since 1998. In 2008 he tested positive for both EPO and Ephedrine. The sample was delivered on 20 July 2008 in an in-competition test in

Mende, Lozère Mende (, ) is a commune and the prefecture of the department of Lozère, in the region of Occitania, Southern France. Its inhabitants are called the ''Mendois''. The city, including the first traces of dwellings date back to 200 BC, was origin ...

. This time he received a suspension for life.

History of disqualifications

Barbi, despite having been repeatedly disqualified, has repeatedly violated the terms of his disqualification by participating in running competitions. *1998: 4 mouths for

ephedrine Ephedrine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is often used to prevent low blood pressure during anesthesia. It has also been used for asthma, narcolepsy, and obesity but is not the preferred treatment. It is of unclear benefit in ...

*2001: 4 years until 31 August 2005 (he will be 40 years old) *2009: disqualification for life *2009: reduced disqualification until 9 March 2024 (he will be 59 years old) *2018: 8 years until 29 July 2032 (he will be 67 years old) *2020: 15 years until 28 July 2047 (he will be 82 years old)

Achievements

*All results regarding marathon, unless stated otherwise

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Barbi, Roberto 1965 births Living people Italian male long-distance runners Italian male marathon runners Doping cases in athletics Italian sportspeople in doping cases World Athletics Championships athletes for Italy Sportspeople from the Province of Lucca Italian Athletics Championships winners