The Boston Marathon organisers paid out the winnings for their late April race this week; with one notable exception, the $75,000 that Kenyan Jemima Jelegat Sumgong should have earned for her second place in the women’s race.

Tom Grilk, the executive director of marathon organisers, the Boston Athletic Association, confirmed today that he had given authorisation for payments to be made, and that he understood that those payments were underway. But he would neither confirm nor deny non-payment for Sumgong. Nor would Sumgong’s manager Federico Rosa make any statement.

But concern about Sumgong’s non-payment, and the reasons for it, provoked a flurry of activity at the Kenyan Championships in the capital, Nairobi this week; and Athletics Kenya president, Isiah Kiplagat made an emergency dash 300 kilometres upcountry to Eldoret, the training base for Sumgong.

The two months since the Boston race is a normal delay for payment, until the relevant dope tests have been processed, and the all-clear has been given for money to be paid to the winners.

Grilk said that he would neither confirm nor deny any rumours about Sumgong, and that it was for the IAAF to make any announcement.