Rutger Beke
Rutger Beke (pronounced "bay-kuh") (Halle, August 8, 1977) is a Belgian triathlete living in Leuven.
Rutger Beke started competing in the sport of triathlon when he was 17. He has performed well in several Ironman races, including five top five placings in the Ironman Hawaii.
Beke became well-known because of his alleged EPO use. In 2004, he was tested positive in both his A- and B-sample for EPO. He was suspended from competition for 18 months. In August 2005 the Commission reversed its decision and exonerated him based on scientific and medical information presented by Beke. He asserted that his sample had become degraded as a result of bacterial contamination and that the substance identified by the laboratory as pharmaceutical EPO was, in fact, an unrelated protein indistinguishable from pharmaceutical EPO in the test method. He claimed, therefore, that the test had produced a false positive result in his case.
In 2007, he was the 5th Belgian who won an Ironman, together with Luc Van Lierde, Dirk van Gossum, Marino Vanhoenacker and Gerrit Schellens.
Results
- 2002: 3th in Nice (WC)
- 2003: 3th in Florida
- 2003: 2nd in Ironman Hawaii
- 2003: 2nd in Ibiza (WC)
- 2003: 2nd in Ironman Hawaii
- 2004: 5th in Ironman Hawaii
- 2005: 1st in Ironman Monaco
- 2005: 4th in Ironman Hawaii
- 2006: 4th in Ironman Hawaii
- 2007: 1st in Ironman Arizona
- 2008: 3rd in Ironman Hawaii