Ruth Chepngetich, Kenya’s celebrated athlete and current women’s marathon world record holder, has been provisionally suspended for a doping offence by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), Afrosport reports.
The 30-year-old tested positive for Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ), a banned substance found in a sample collected from her on 14 March, AIU revealed in a statement.
Chepngetich made global headlines when she smashed the marathon world record at the Chicago Marathon last October, clocking an incredible 2:09:56 — nearly two minutes faster than Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa’s previous best at the 2023 Berlin Marathon.
HCTZ, while commonly used to flush out excess water from the body by increasing urine output, is banned at all levels by World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) due to its use as a masking agent to cover up other substances.
Although WADA allows for trace amounts up to 20 nanograms per millilitre in urine, Chepngetich’s sample showed a whopping 3800ng/mL — way beyond the allowed threshold.
Under WADA Code, athletes who test positive for diuretics or masking agents are not automatically suspended, but Chepngetich chose to accept a voluntary provisional ban on 19 July, just days after being notified of the test result on 16 April in Kenya. The AIU has confirmed that investigations are still ongoing.
“In the intervening months, the AIU continued its investigation and today issued a Notice of Charge and imposed its own provisional suspension,” AIU head Brett Clothier said.
If found guilty, Chepngetich could face a two-year ban. She does, however, have the right to tender her case before a Disciplinary Tribunal.
