Kenyan marathon runner Ruth Chepngetich, the women’s marathon world record holder, has been banned for three years after admitting to an anti-doping rule violation, according to the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU). Chepngetich, 31, was provisionally suspended in July 2025 after testing positive for Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ), a prohibited diuretic often used as a masking agent to hide the use of performance-enhancing substances. The positive test came from a sample collected on March 14, 2025. Despite the suspension, her previous achievements, including her world record time of 2:09:56 set at the 2024 Chicago Marathon, will remain valid, as they occurred before the failed test.
Initially, the AIU sought a four-year suspension, but Chepngetich’s decision to admit the violation reduced the ban to three years, in line with World Athletics regulations. However, the AIU revealed it is still investigating messages and data recovered from Chepngetich’s phone, which could indicate that the doping was intentional and part of a longer-term pattern. “While the case regarding the positive test for HCTZ has been resolved, the AIU will continue to investigate the suspicious material recovered from Chepngetich’s phone to determine if other violations occurred,” said Brett Clothier, AIU head. Chepngetich, a two-time Chicago Marathon champion and 2019 world champion, becomes the latest in a growing list of elite Kenyan athletes sanctioned for doping. The East African nation, long celebrated for its dominance in distance running, has faced intensified global scrutiny as the number of doping cases continues to rise.
