There has been a suspicion of doping against the runner Sara Benfares for several weeks. Now her little sister has also tested positive.
German athletics apparently has another doping case. 19-year-old Sofia Benfares tested positive. The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) confirmed a corresponding report in the “Saarbrücker Zeitung” on Thursday. The young runner is the sister of Sara Benfares, who was provisionally suspended at the end of January.
The report in the “Saarbrücker Zeitung” about Sofia Benfares said that the banned blood doping drug Epo was detected during a training inspection in 2023. A complaint was made to the Saarbrücken public prosecutor’s office because of a possible violation of the anti-doping law. NADA also confirmed this. Sofia Benfares was third in the 3,000 meters at the U23 European Championships last year.
Father justified the positive test with a cancer diagnosis
According to NADA, a sample of her sister was found to contain the banned blood doping agent Epo and testosterone.
In this case too, NADA filed a complaint. The 22-year-old, who like her younger sister belongs to LC Rehlingen in Saarland, came twelfth over 5,000 meters at the European Athletics Championships in Munich in 2022. Shortly before, she also started at the World Championships in Eugene, where she was eliminated in the preliminary round.
A verdict in this case is still pending. According to its own statements, the German Athletics Association had been informed by NADA. Sara Benfares’ father Samir, who is also the sisters’ coach, said in a report from a French portal that his daughter had been diagnosed with bone cancer. The positive sample was due to the urgent taking of medication.