 Robertson at the2016 Rio Olympics | ||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | (1989-11-14)14 November 1989 (age 35) Hamilton, New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||
| Home town | Iten,Kenya[1] | |||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[2] | |||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 63 kg (139 lb)[2] | |||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Track and field | |||||||||||||||||
| Event | 800 metres –half marathon | |||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Zane Robertson (born 14 November 1989)[3] is a New Zealandmiddle andlong-distance runner. He won the bronze medal in the5000 metres at the2014 Commonwealth Games. Robertson is theOceanian record holder for the10 kilometres andhalf marathon, andNew Zealand record holder for themarathon. He also holds the area best in the road10 miles. He is currently serving an eight-year ban for breaching twoWorld Athleticsanti-doping rules.
At the age of 17, he and his twin brotherJake moved from New Zealand toIten,Kenya, to further their running careers.[4]
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 ofEPO 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.[5][6]
Zane Robertson competed in the2013 World Championships in Moscow over the5000 metres, where he finished 14th with a time of 13:46.55.[7]
At the2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships, Robertson finished 12th in the final of the3000 metres event in a time of 8:01.81[8] after running a New Zealand indoor record of 7:44.16 in the heats.[9] He won the bronze medal in the5000 m at the2014 Commonwealth Games inGlasgow.[10]
In 2015, Robertson set a new Oceanian record in thehalf marathon inMarugame with a time of 59:47.[11] He became only the fourth non-African runner in history to run the distance in under one hour.[12]
At the2016 Rio Olympics, Robertson finished 12th in themen's 10,000 metres with a time of 27:33.67. This result brokeDick Quax's 39-year-old New Zealand national record by more than 8 seconds.[13]
Robertson was selected to represent New Zealand in both the marathon and 10,000 m at the2018 Commonwealth Games, 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.[14] 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.[15]
In 2021, Robertson finished 36th in theTokyo Olympic Games marathon with a time of 2:17:04.
On 20 September 2022, Robertson was provisionally suspended without opposition foranti-doping rule violations (ADRVs), including the use ofEPO 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.[5][6]
| Surface | Distance | Time (h:)m:s | Place | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Track | 1500 metres | 3:34.19 | Rieti, Italy | 7 September 2014 | |
| 3000 metres | 7:41.37 | Cork, Ireland | 8 July 2014 | ||
| 3000 metres indoor | 7:44.16 | Sopot, Poland | 7 March 2014 | ||
| 5000 metres | 13:13.83 | Heusden-Zolder, Belgium | 13 July 2013 | ||
| 10,000 metres | 27:33.67 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 13 August 2016 | ||
| Road | 10 kilometres | 27:28 | Berlin, Germany | 9 October 2016 | Oceanian record |
| 10 miles | 46:29 | Amsterdam, Netherlands | 23 September 2018 | Oceanian best | |
| Half marathon | 59:47 | Marugame, Japan | 1 February 2015 | Oceanian record | |
| Marathon | 2:08:19 | Gold Coast, Australia | 6 July 2019 | New Zealand |
In September 2023 Kenyan newspaperThe Standard reported that Robertson had been arrested after anAK-47 and 23 rounds of ammunition were found in his house. Police had visited the address after a woman had filed a complaint about Robertson.[16]
