Kenyan women’s marathon world record-holder Ruth Chepng’etich has been banned for three years after admitting to a doping violation, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) announced on Thursday.
Chepng’etich, who stunned the world with her record-breaking marathon time of 2:09:56 at the 2024 Chicago Marathon, tested positive for Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) — a banned diuretic and masking agent under the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code.
The substance was detected in an out-of-competition test conducted on March 14, 2025, with concentrations nearly 200 times higher than WADA’s permissible limit.
AIU Confirms Ban Until 2028
The AIU initially proposed a four-year suspension, terming Chepng’etich’s conduct “reckless and indirectly intentional.”
However, her early admission of guilt earned her a one-year reduction, resulting in a three-year ban that runs until March 2028.
“Her admission of the violation contributed to the reduced sanction,” read part of the AIU statement.
The ruling effectively rules Chepng’etich out of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and all World Athletics-sanctioned events during the suspension period.
