Browsing: doping

Womenâ€s marathon world record-holder Chepngetich handed three-year doping ban | Marathon

The womenâ€s marathon world record-holder, Ruth Chepngetich, has been banned for three years after the Athletics Integrity Unit rejected her claim that her failed drugs test came from taking her housemaidâ€s medication after feeling hot and having a rapid resting heartbeat.

The Kenyan stunned the world when she ran 2hr 9min 56sec at the Chicago marathon in 2024, a time that shattered the previous best by almost two minutes. However her performance was immediately questioned by many in the athletics world who felt it was too good to be true.

But while the 31-year-old will not be able to race again until 2028, she will be allowed to keep her world record because her positive drugs test came after her run in Chicago. That will leave a sour taste in the mouth for many people. However, the AIU chair, David Howman, insisted that the case proved that “nobody is above the rulesâ€.

“While disappointing for those who put their trust in this athlete, this is how the system is supposed to work,†he added.

Chepngetich had been due to run in this yearâ€s London Marathon but pulled out just days before after a urine test in March found an estimated concentration of 3,800ng/mL of the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) in her system – far above the legal limit of 20ng/mL.

Diuretics may be abused to mask the presence in urine of other prohibited substances. However, when interviewed by AIU investigators in April, Chepngetich was unable to provide an explanation for her positive test.

At a subsequent interview in July, the AIU said it then confronted her with evidence acquired from her mobile telephone indicating a reasonable suspicion that her positive test may have been intentional.

Shortly afterwards, Chepngetich wrote to the AIU to state that she now recalled that she had been taken ill two days before the positive test – but had forgotten to mention it.

“She claimed that she had experienced symptoms of sweating, weakness and tachycardia and, since she knew that her housemaid had experienced similar symptoms, asked her housemaid for the medicine that she had been taking,†the AIU investigation states.

Ruth Chepngetich of Kenya crosses the finish line to win the 2024 Chicago marathon. Photograph: Michael Reaves/Getty Images

Investigators found such claims to be “hardly credible†and asked for her potential suspension to be increased from two years to four. Chepngetich then accepted that she had committed an anti-doping rule violation and was banned for three years.

That, though, may not be the end of the matter. The AIU said it had found screenshots on Chepngetichâ€s phone about the banned drug testosterone and “messages related to unidentified third parties working on ‘programs†possibly related to dopingâ€. “The case regarding the positive test for HCTZ has been resolved, but the AIU will continue to investigate the suspicious material recovered from Chepngetich phone to determine if any other violations have occurred,†said the head of the AIU, Brett Clothier.

“In the meantime, all Chepngnetichâ€s achievements and records predating the 14 March 2025 sample stand.â€

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Tennis

Financial help offered to tennis players involved in doping investigations by ITIA

The Professional Tennis Players’ Association, which was co-founded by Djokovic to increase player power, introduced a scheme in January which offers free support from two prominent law firms.

The number of legal hours provided is limited, and there will be restraints too on what the ITIA will be able to offer.

There is already pro-bono legal support offered to players who test positive by Sport Resolutions – an independent dispute resolution company.

This will now be open to players from the moment they test positive, rather than when they are charged, but long-term support is dependent on finding lawyers who are prepared to work for free.

Up to $5,000 (£3,730) worth of assistance will be available to those who wish to use a Wada-accredited laboratory to prepare a case.

Individuals will also be able to sign up for six sessions at Sporting Chance, the mental health organisation set up to support professional athletes.

“Anyone who finds themselves part of either an anti-doping or anti-corruption investigation deserves the opportunity to defend or explain themselves, and we recognise the process can come at both a financial and emotional cost,” ITIA chief executive Karen Moorhouse said.

“No player picks up a tennis racquet as a child with any motivation other than playing the game.

“Individuals find themselves in these situations for a lot of reasons, and so no matter what those reasons are, and where the case ends up, they also deserve someone to talk to.”

The trial will be reviewed at the end of 2026.

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Tennis

New program supports players accused of doping, match-fixing

Tennis players involved in doping or match-fixing investigations are now eligible for free legal help, confidential counseling or money to test products they have taken that might have led to a positive drug test, the International Tennis Integrity Agency announced Wednesday.

The trial program begins immediately and will be reviewed after next year.

A player can receive up to $5,000 for a lab accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency to check a medicine or supplement for contamination or the same amount for help identifying possible sources of contaminated meat — a frequent explanation for failed doping tests in sports.

Sport Resolutions, an independent dispute resolution service that runs tribunals for anti-doping cases in tennis, is extending its free legal support in such cases to when a player first tests positive for a banned substance. Until now, this service was available only after a player was charged.

And Sporting Chance, an organization that works with athletes on their mental health, will provide six sessions of well-being support for people being investigated for anti-corruption or anti-doping violations.

“We recognize the process can come at both a financial and emotional cost,” ITIA CEO Karen Moorhouse said.

“No player picks up a tennis racket as a child with any motivation other than playing the game,” she added. “Individuals find themselves in these situations for a lot of reasons, and so no matter what those reasons are, and where the case ends up, they also deserve someone to talk to.”

The ITIA was involved in two particularly high-profile doping cases in tennis that began last year and ultimately resulted short bans for players who have been ranked No. 1 and won multiple Grand Slam titles, Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek.

Sinner reached a deal with WADA to accept a three-month suspension that ended in April after that group appealed an exoneration from the ITIA based on what it determined was an accidental contamination by an anabolic steroid.

Swiatek agreed to a one-month ban that was partly served during last offseason after she tested positive from what she said was a contaminated non-prescription medication.

Some tennis players, notably 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic, have been critical of the way cases were handled, saying there was a sense of favoritism toward the sport’s biggest stars.

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