Friday, July 18, 2025 - Women’s marathon world record-holder, Ruth Chepngetich, has been provisionally suspended after testing positive for a banned substance, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) announced in a statement.
The Kenyan runner smashed the previous marathon record by
almost two minutes when she ran a time of 2:09:56 at the Chicago Marathon in
October 2024, becoming the first woman in history to break the 2:10 barrier.
According to an AIU statement, the 30-year-old tested
positive for Hydrochlorothiazide, a diuretic used clinically to treat fluid
retention and hypertension, in a sample collected on March 14, which was then
reported to the organization on April 3.
Any levels of Hydrochlorothiazide below 20 ng/mL in urine
are reported as negative. Chepngetich’s sample had an estimated concentration
of 3,800 ng/mL, the AIU said.
Hydrochlorothiazide is prohibited at all times under the
World Anti Doping Agency code and considered a “Specified Substance,” which
carries a standard sanction of two years.
In the statement, AIU Head Brett Clothier said the
organization notified Chepngetich in person on April 16 and “complied with
requests regarding our investigation.”
Clothier added: “Chepng’etich was not provisionally
suspended by the AIU at the time of notification, however, on 19 April, she
opted for a voluntary provisional suspension while the AIU’s investigation was
ongoing.
“In the intervening months, the AIU continued its
investigation and (Thursday) issued a Notice of Charge and imposed its own
provisional suspension.”
“Chepngetich has the right for her case to be heard before a
Disciplinary Tribunal and that the AIU will not comment further until this
matter has been concluded,” the statement concluded.
Chepngetich is a three-time winner of the Chicago Marathon
and took gold at the World Athletics Championships in 2019.
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