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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