What Happened to Zane Robertson?
The New Zealand distance runner Zane Robertson has recently spoken out about explosive claims alleging he was falsely accused of rape and illegal possession of firearms during his time in Kenya. This drama follows his doping ban imposed in 2023, and now he’s expressing how he feels wronged.
In an eye-opening chat with The Post, Robertson, who is 34, recounted a nightmarish 17-month period starting in September 2023 that he insists was a sham from the beginning.
Having developed a life in Kenya for over ten years, he expresses his heartbreak: “I had to walk away from everything I’ve built. I owned a place there, and suddenly I had to give it all up — it’s just too risky for me to stay there anymore.”
The Journey to Kenya
As a teenager, Zane moved to Iten with his twin brother Jake, pursuing their shared Olympic aspirations. However, by February 2025, things were turned upside down when he was proved innocent after a court poked holes in the case against him.
Magistrate Emily Kigen didn’t hold back in her judgment: “It’s questionable why this case even went to trial at all.” She highlighted the shoddy nature of the investigation.
“The agencies involved didn’t conduct a thorough job; it was disgraceful,” concluded her ruling.
So, what led to these allegations? During a social gathering at his home with a couple of friends and two women, things escalated. Zane claims the women got intoxicated and violent when he asked them to leave, even injuring him by throwing a bottle.
Worried about retaliation, he went to a hospital for documentation of his injuries and filed a report, just in case the tables turned on him.
But the next day, when he followed up on a stolen passport at a police station, everything spiraled out of control.
The Arrest That Shocked Him
According to Robertson, one of the women accused him of stealing, leading police to search his house. They even seized his phone while he was in the middle of a call with his lawyer and claimed to find a rifle and ammo there. He reported that items worth over 40,000 dollars went missing during the police raid.
“The officer handed me the gun without gloves and tried to get me to hold it — it was bizarre,” said Robertson. In court, discrepancies arose as three different firearms with various serial numbers were shown, further proving the charges were fabricated, leading to his eventual acquittal.
“There seemed to be a conspiracy aiming to frame me as a foreigner — one of the top police officials made it clear that they could have manipulated things to make me look guilty of serious crimes,” Robertson revealed.
In March 2023, Robertson received an eight-year suspension from the Sports Tribunal of New Zealand due to doping violations involving Erythropoietin (EPO).
He’s currently back in New Zealand, attempting to stitch together his life and career far removed from the world of athletics.
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