Sweat Elite Podcast

Matt interviews high performance coach Selva Yoga following Selva's earlier public comments on doping in elite distance running. Selva has worked with male athletes holding personal bests ranging from 2:25 down to 2:07 in the marathon, and female athletes as fast as 2:38. He has personally coached athletes from 2:26 down to 2:16 in the marathon.

The conversation breaks down how athletes are caught - in and out of competition testing, missed whereabouts filings, and biological passport irregularities - alongside claims of uneven enforcement. Selva alleges corruption within parts of Kenyan athletics, including bribery, advance warning of tests, falsified medical exemptions, age manipulation, and financial exploitation by managers. He also raises serious concerns around coercion and abuse of young athletes, while repeatedly framing his comments as based on accounts shared with him rather than direct proof.

Matt and Selva also discuss well known training groups and high profile athletes, with Selva careful not to make direct accusations without evidence. He emphasizes that both Kenya and Ethiopia have strong, clean systems operating alongside problematic ones, and that culture, incentives, and financial structures often shape the level of risk. The episode closes with Selva inviting athletes to connect with his Toronto-based Northern Endurance Project.

Links

Northern Endurance Project Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/northern.endurance/

Be coached by Matt: https://www.sweatelitecoaching.com/coaching-2026

Join the Shareholders Club / Private Podcast Feed: https://www.sweatelite.co/shareholders

Matt Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattinglisfox/

Matt Training Log - Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/6248359/

Contact Matt: matt@sweatelite.co

Topics

1. 00:00 Podcast comment sparks debate
2. 01:23 Coach background and philosophy
3. 06:10 Brother Colm and Kipruto ban
4. 07:03 Mafias and drug access
5. 15:09 Sexual harassment by managers
6. 22:22 Athletics Kenya testing reality
7. 24:16 Are Kelvin Kiptum and Eliud Kipchoge doping?
8. 31:38 How the truth emerges
9. 33:42 Was David Rudisha clean?
10. 35:12 Coaching ethics and trust
11. 37:24 Good coaches in Kenya
12. 38:22 Renato Canova under the microscope
13. 42:48 How drugs get bought in Kenya
14. 49:35 Blame the system, not athletes
15. 53:41 Wrap up and contact info