Ruth Chepngetich, Marathon World Record Holder, Gets Suspended Following Doping Test

The women’s marathon world record holder, Ruth Chepngetich, was placed on provisional suspension due to abuse of a prohibited substance.

Photo: Ruth Chepngetich going through the finish line in one of the races (screenshot: youtube.com/@News27kenya)

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has placed Ruth Chepngetich, the world record holder for women’s marathon, on provisional suspension for using and possessing the illegal drug hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ).
The AIU, a World Athletics-established agency that tackles doping and other ethical wrongdoing in athletics, which, in order to comply with the World Anti-Doping Code, functions separately from World Athletics (the international governing body for the sport), said in a statement that the drug, a diuretic, was found in a sample taken from the Kenyan athlete on March 14.

The AIU further stated that although the Kenyan sportswoman wasn’t placed under provisional suspension at the time of notice, she chose to do so voluntarily on April 19 while the agency’s investigation was still underway: “In the intervening months, the AIU continued its investigation and today issued a Notice of Charge and imposed its own provisional suspension.”

According to the AIU, diuretics can be abused to conceal the presence of other illegal substances in urine, while HCTZ is used clinically to treat fluid retention and hypertension.

Kenyan Runners Lead Way in Athletics High-Profile Doping Cases

Last October in Chicago, Chepngetich became the first woman to run a marathon in under 2 hours and 10 minutes. She ran it in 2 hours, 9 minutes, and 56 seconds, shattering the previous record. Chepngetich, however, said she was “not in the right place mentally or physically” to compete her best at the London Marathon in April; therefore, she decided to withdraw. That was obviously the first sign that something was “cooking” regarding her competitive status. As it seems at this point, Chepngetich won’t have the opportunity to defend her Chicago Marathon win, even though it’s scheduled to start on October 12, or try to set the new world record, for which she’d certainly be the no. 1 favorite on any sportsbook from the betting website list that offers athletics disciplines.

In recent years, there have been numerous high-profile doping incidents in marathon running, especially from Kenya, which is known for its middle- and long-distance runners. Athletics Kenya announced in April 2023 that its government has committed $5 million a year for five years to combat doping in sports.

Sarah Chepchirchir was banned for eight years in February 2024 when it was discovered that the former Tokyo Marathon champion had broken anti-doping rules a second time. The AIU also temporarily suspended marathon runner Brimin Kipkorir a year later when he tested positive for illegal substances.

Now there’s the “Chepngetich case”…