Marathon world record holder Ruth Chepngetich gets three-year doping ban
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Kenya's Ruth Chepngetich set a new world record of 2:09:56 at the October 2024 Chicago Marathon. She tested positive for a banned diuretic on March 14, 2025.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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- Ruth Chepngetich, Kenya's marathon world record holder, received a three-year doping ban from the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) on October 23.
- Chepngetich tested positive for hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) in March. Her initial denials led to a 4-year ban, reduced to three after admitting unintentional use.
- AIU will investigate suspicious phone data for further violations, but Chepngetich's pre-March 14, 2025 achievements and records remain valid.
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MONACO - Kenya’s marathon world record holder, Ruth Chepngetich has been banned for three years for doping, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) announced on Oct 23.
The 31-year-old, a former world marathon champion and a three-time winner of the Chicago Marathon, tested positive for the banned diuretic hydrochlorothiazide in March.
She had been provisionally banned from July.
Chepngetich’s 2:09:56 mark, however, will remain on the books, as it was set before her March 14 positive test. Chepngetich smashed the marathon record in Chicago in October 2024.
Her sample revealed an HCTZ concentration of 3,800ng/mL, far above the World Anti-Doping Agency's minimum reporting limit of 20ng/mL.
Chepngetich initially denied any wrongdoing and could not explain the positive result despite an AIU investigation, which included analysis of her medications, supplements and phone data.
However, on July 31, two weeks after Chepngetich was suspended, she changed her explanation, saying she had unknowingly taken her housemaid’s medication, which contained HCTZ, while ill.
The AIU said HCTZ is used clinically to treat fluid retention and hypertension, adding that diuretics may be abused to mask the presence in urine of other prohibited substances.
The AIU said Chepngetich’s actions were reckless and indirectly intentional rather than accidental, initially applying a four-year sanction.
However, Chepngetich’s early admission earned her a one-year reduction, resulting in a three-year ban issued on Sept 10.
“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,” AIU head Brett Clothier said in a statement.
“In the meantime, all Chepngetich’s achievements and records pre-dating the 14 March, 2025, sample stand.” AFP, REUTERS
