Marathon Record Holder Chepngetich Given Three-year Ban

Women’s marathon world record-holder Ruth Chepngetich has been banned for three years after the Kenyan admitted to anti-doping rule violations.
Chepngetich was provisionally suspended in July following a positive test for Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) – a banned diuretic used commonly as a masking agent – on 14 March.
Chepngetich’s achievements which pre-date that sample – including her world record time of two hours, nine minutes and 56 seconds in Chicago in October 2024 – will still stand.
The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) had sought a four-year ban but the 31-year-old’s punishment was reduced to three years because she admitted to the violations.
However, the AIU will continue to investigate evidence from Chepngetich’s phone which it found indicate “a reasonable suspicion that her positive test may have been intentional” – including messages dating back to 2022.
Brett Clothier, head of the AIU, said: “The case regarding the positive test for HCTZ has been resolved, but the AIU will continue to investigate the suspicious material recovered from Chepngetich’s phone to determine if any other violations have occurred.”
When interviewed in April by the AIU, Chepngetich, the first woman to run a marathon in under 2:10, could not provide an explanation for the positive test.
While HCTZ has a minimum reporting level of 20 nanograms per millilitre (ng/mL) in urine, Chepngetich’s sample showed an estimated concentration of 3,800 ng/mL.