Kenyan marathon champion Peres Jepchirchir has been provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) after an out-of-competition sample collected before her Sydney Marathon victory tested positive for erythropoietin (EPO). The 33-year-old provided the sample in Kenya ahead of the race on August 30, 2026, which she won in two hours, 18 minutes and 31 seconds. She finished more than three minutes ahead of compatriot Irene Chepet Cheptai. EPO is a hormone that stimulates red blood cell production. Its use as a performance-enhancing drug is prohibited in athletics because increasing red blood cells can improve the delivery of oxygen to muscles and boost endurance. A provisional suspension means Jepchirchir is temporarily barred from competing while the case proceeds. The positive result is an allegation of an anti-doping rule violation, not a final finding of guilt.
Jepchirchir is one of Kenya’s most successful distance runners. She won the women’s marathon at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, having competed at the 2020 Games, which were postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. She also claimed the world marathon title in Tokyo in September 2025. Her other major victories include the New York City Marathon in 2021, the Boston Marathon in 2022 and the London Marathon in 2024. She also set the women’s half-marathon world record in 2017 and improved it on three occasions in 2020. The case places renewed attention on anti-doping enforcement in elite distance running. Further details about Jepchirchir’s response to the suspension and the next steps in the proceedings were not provided in the information available.
