| Zane Robertson | |
| Birth Date: | 14 November 1989 |
| Birth Place: | Hamilton, New Zealand |
| Height: | 1.82 m[1] |
| Weight: | 63 kg |
| Hometown: | Iten, Kenya[2] |
| Sport: | Track and field |
| Event: | 800 metres – half marathon |
Zane Robertson (born 14 November 1989)[3] is a New Zealand middle and long-distance runner. He won the bronze medal in the 5000 metres at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Robertson is the Oceanian record holder for the 10 kilometres and half marathon, and New Zealand record holder for the marathon. He also holds the area best in the road 10 miles. He is currently serving an eight-year ban for breaching two World Athletics anti-doping rules.
At the age of 17, he and his twin brother Jake moved from New Zealand to Iten, 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 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.
Zane Robertson competed in the 2013 World Championships in Moscow over the 5000 metres, where he finished 14th with a time of 13:46.55.[5]
At the 2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships, Robertson finished 12th in the final of the 3000 metres event in a time of 8:01.81[6] after running a New Zealand indoor record of 7:44.16 in the heats.[7] He won the bronze medal in the 5000 m at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.[8]
In 2015, Robertson set a new Oceanian record in the half marathon in Marugame with a time of 59:47.[9] He became only the fourth non-African runner in history to run the distance in under one hour.[10]
At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Robertson finished 12th in the men's 10,000 metres with a time of 27:33.67. This result broke Dick Quax's 39-year-old New Zealand national record by more than 8 seconds.[11]
Robertson was selected to represent New Zealand in both the marathon and 10,000 m at the 2018 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.[12] 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.[13]
In 2021, Robertson finished 36th in the Tokyo Olympic Games marathon with a time of 2:17:04.
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.[14] [15]
| Surface | Distance | Time (h:)m:s | Place | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Track | 3:34.19 | Rieti, Italy | 7 September 2014 | ||
| 7:41.37 | Cork, Ireland | 8 July 2014 | |||
| 3000 metres indoor | 7:44.16 | Sopot, Poland | 7 March 2014 | ||
| 13:13.83 | Heusden-Zolder, Belgium | 13 July 2013 | |||
| 27:33.67 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 13 August 2016 | |||
| Road | 27:28 | Berlin, Germany | 9 October 2016 | Oceanian record | |
| 46:29 | Amsterdam, Netherlands | 23 September 2018 | Oceanian best | ||
| 59:47 | Marugame, Japan | 1 February 2015 | Oceanian record | ||
| 2:08:19 | Gold Coast, Australia | 6 July 2019 |
In September 2023 Kenyan newspaper The Standard reported that Robertson had been arrested after an AK-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]