Zane Robertson (born 14 November 1989) is a New Zealand

middle Middle or The Middle may refer to: * Centre (geometry), the point equally distant from the outer limits. Places * Middle (sheading), a subdivision of the Isle of Man * Middle Bay (disambiguation) * Middle Brook (disambiguation) * Middle Creek ...

and

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runner. He won the bronze medal in the

5000 metres The 5000 metres or 5000-metre run is a common long-distance running event in track and field, approximately equivalent to or . It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics, run over laps of a sta ...

at the

2014 Commonwealth Games The 2014 Commonwealth Games (), officially known as the XX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Glasgow 2014 (; ), were an international multi-sport event celebrated in the tradition of the Commonwealth Games as governed by the Commonwea ...

. Robertson is the Oceanian record holder for the 10 kilometres and

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 shortcu ...

, and New Zealand record holder for the

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...

. He also holds the area best in the road 10 miles. He is currently serving an eight-year ban for breaching two

World Athletics World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation and International Association of Athletics Federations and formerly abbreviated as the IAAF, is the international sports governing body, governing body for the sport ...

anti-doping rules. At the age of 17, he and his twin brother

Jake Jake may refer to: Name * Jake (given name), including a list of persons and fictional characters with the name * Katrin Jäke (born c. 1975), German swimmer * Jake (gamer), American ''Overwatch'' player and coach * Jake, a member of the band Enhy ...

moved from New Zealand to

Iten Iten is a town in Elgeyo-Marakwet County in the Republic of Kenya and serves as the capital and is the largest town in the county. International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) awarded the town with a plaque recognising Iten as a Wo ...

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

, to further their running careers. On 22 March 2023, it was announced that Robertson had been banned from competition for eight years following two World Athletics anti-doping rule violations. He received a four-year ban for the use of EPO found in in-competition test in May 2022 and an additional four years for tampering with the doping control process, effectively ending his athletics career.

Career

2013–2021

Zane Robertson competed in the 2013 World Championships in Moscow over the

, where he finished 14th with a time of 13:46.55. At the

2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships The 2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics was the fifteenth edition of the international indoor track and field competition, organised by the IAAF. The event was held between 7–9 March 2014 at the Ergo Arena in Sopot, Poland. Prepar ...

, Robertson finished 12th in the final of the 3000 metres event in a time of 8:01.81 after running a New Zealand indoor record of 7:44.16 in the heats. He won the bronze medal in the 5000 m at the

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

. In 2015, Robertson set a new Oceanian record in the

Marugame is a city located in Kagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 108,541 in 46101 households and a population density of 970 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Marugame is located in north-cen ...

with a time of 59:47. He became only the fourth non-African runner in history to run the distance in under one hour. At the

2016 Rio Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

, Robertson finished 12th in the men's 10,000 metres with a time of 27:33.67. This result broke

Dick Quax Theodorus Jacobus Leonardus "Dick" Quax (1 January 1948 – 28 May 2018) was a Dutch-born New Zealand runner, one-time world record holder in the 5000 metres, and local-body politician. Quax stood for Parliament for the ACT Party in 199 ...

's 39-year-old New Zealand national record by more than 8 seconds. Robertson was selected to represent New Zealand in both the marathon and 10,000 m at the

2018 Commonwealth Games The 2018 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXI Commonwealth Games and also known as Gold Coast 2018, were an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth that was held on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, bet ...

, and planned to contest one of the two events. However, he withdrew from the team on 5 April, after his training was hampered by a groin injury earlier in the year. At the 2019 Gold Coast Marathon, Robertson placed third in a time of 2:08:19, breaking his brother Jake's national record by seven seconds. In 2021, Robertson finished 36th in the Tokyo Olympic Games marathon with a time of 2:17:04.

2022 New Zealand Sports Tribunal ban

On 20 September 2022, Robertson was provisionally suspended without opposition for anti-doping rule violations (ADRVs), including the use of EPO found in in-competition test in May 2022. Then his B sample confirmed the original result. On 22 March 2023, it was announced that he had been banned from competition for eight years for two World Athletics anti-doping rule violations. He received a four-year ban for the use of EPO and an additional four years for providing falsified records and false testimony, effectively ending his athletics career.

Personal bests

Arrest

In September 2023 Kenyan newspaper

The Standard The Standard may refer to: Entertainment * The Standard (band), an indie rock band from Portland, Oregon * ''The Standard'' (novel), a 1934 novel by the Austrian writer Alexander Lernet-Holenia * ''The Standard'' (Tommy Flanagan album), 1980 * ...

reported that Robertson had been arrested after an

AK-47 The AK-47, officially known as the Avtomat Kalashnikova (; also known as the Kalashnikov or just AK), is an assault rifle that is chambered for the 7.62×39mm cartridge. Developed in the Soviet Union by Russian small-arms designer Mikhail Kala ...

and 23 rounds of ammunition were found in his house. Police had visited the address after a woman had filed a complaint about Robertson.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Robertson, Zane 1989 births Living people Sportspeople from Hamilton, New Zealand Athletes from Waikato New Zealand male middle-distance runners Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for New Zealand Athletes (track and field) at the 2014 Commonwealth Games World Athletics Championships athletes for New Zealand Olympic athletes for New Zealand Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics New Zealand male long-distance runners New Zealand twins Athletes (track and field) at the 2020 Summer Olympics Medallists at the 2014 Commonwealth Games New Zealand sportspeople in doping cases 21st-century New Zealand sportsmen Commonwealth Games bronze medallists in athletics