Imagine the performances that were once celebrated as ‘world junior records’ are now facing the threat of being wiped from the books. Well, track and field has long grappled with a credibility crisis, with nations like Ethiopia frequently finding themselves at the center of controversies. Now, yet another scandal has surfaced, once again surrounding the same nation’s athlete.

The Athletics Integrity Unit has delivered a devastating blow to Ethiopian distance running, nullifying multiple world junior records after finding evidence that three of the country’s promising young athletes had been competing with falsified ages.

As reported by @_OwenM_ on X: “Several world junior records will NOT be ratified. It has been revealed that Medina Eisa’s date of birth is 17 October 2002, and not 3 January 2005 as previously claimed.”

Medina Eisa’s case involved the investigators getting to know that she is actually 23 years old, rather than 21. As per new documentation, her correct date of birth is 17 October 2002, instead of 3 January 2005.

This means the track and field star was 22 during the U20 competitions she dominated, not 19 as previously believed. Thus, upon knowing this, her world U20 record of 14:21.89 in the 5000 meters, set at the prestigious Brussels Diamond League in 2024, will not enter the record books as the World Athletics requires athletes go be 19 or younger in U20 competitions.

Moreover, the implications extend far beyond the numbers. Eisa’s gold medals at the World U20 Championships in Cali 2022 and Lima 2024 are now effectively tainted.

But Eisa wasn’t alone in this age-manipulation scandal.

Fellow Ethiopian track and field athletes Birke Haylom and Melknat Wudu are also involved in this age scandal. Investigators have determined that the documentation provided does not meet the Athletics Integrity Unit’s verification standards.

Haylom, who had been celebrated as one of the sport’s brightest teenage prospects, saw multiple world U20 records nullified, which included her mile mark of 4:17.13, her indoor 1500m time of 3:58.43, and her outdoor 5000m performance of 14:23.71. Similarly, Wudu’s indoor 3000m world U20 record of 8:32.34 has also been written off the books.

And just a few days ago, another Ethiopian athlete faced a suspension, but due to a different circumstance.

Putting track and field’s integrity at stake

Last year’s 1500m final at the World Indoor Championships saw Ethiopian track and field star Gudaf Tsegay and Diribe Welteji locked in the first two places on the podium. However, due to an anti-doping sanction against Welteji, the 23-year-old got her silver medal stripped.

So, what really took place?

Three doping control officers arrived at Welteji’s house to conduct an out-of-competition test last year on February 25, but as per the Athletics Integrity Unit, the track and field athlete’s husband informed them that she was asleep, which initially made her avoid the test but led to this suspension.

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Ethiopia’s national anti-doping body cleared her in August 2025. However, World Athletics appealed to CAS the next month, and they made her not participate in the Tokyo World Championships.

Eventually, CAS agreed on the fact that while there were language barriers during communication, someone like Welteji should have followed the regulations and negotiated during the testing visit regardless of when the investigators showed up at her home.

For the Ethiopian, the ban is from July 8, 2025, to June 30, 2027, and she will be disqualified from all of her results from February 25, 2025. Literally, a big blow to her career.