The family of a 17-year-old Indian long-distance runner is in distress after their kin was sentenced to three years in a Kenyan prison over a sensational doping scandal.
Aman Malik, who hails from Haryana in the Sonipat district, moved to Iten in 2023 with the hopes of honing his craft as a marathoner, but things quickly took a turn for the worse.
A Nairobi court found the teen guilty after it was discovered that he was part of a network that allegedly trafficked illegal drugs and gave athletes prohibited medications.
According to the court, the operation was a "sophisticated network" with cross-border elements, and Malik was allegedly part of it.
Part of the substances seized during the raid included Human Growth Hormone (HGH) and intravenous equipment.
After his sentencing in September 2025, the Indian has been serving his jail term in a crowded Nairobi jail where he shares a four-room enclosure with 30 other inmates.
He recently told the Indian Express that he consistently feels anxious, homesick and alienated and has struggled with unfamiliar food and the tedious prison routines.
His family, meanwhile, has voiced deep concern over his sentencing, with his widowed mother now living alone in Pinana village in his native India.
According to reports, she consistently worries about her son's well-being, while his elder brother continuously questions why the punishment was proportionate.
How the Indian Boy Landed in Trouble
Looking back, Aman's woes began when he sought higher-level training in Iten, which is often referred to as the Home of Champions.
While in Kenya, he received a parcel containing banned substances from a friend in India and took advice from 'senior athletes' about the benefits of growth hormone.
Looking back, the Indian says he regrets the advice, which was ultimately misguided. The person who sent the substances has since been identified by the court as his coach, a former middle-distance runner and social media influencer. The coach, however, insists he had no idea of the parcel's contents.
A glimmer of hope for Aman, as it stands, is the fact that the Indian Ministry of External Affairs has secured consular access and confirmed that Aman is being treated well as per Kenyan Law.
He is set to be repatriated to India after serving his sentence.
