MARATHON RECORD HOLDER RUTH CHEPNGETICH SUSPENDED FOR POSITIVE DOPING TEST

The women’s marathon world record-holder, Ruth Chepngetich, is facing a two-year ban after testing positive for a banned diuretic and masking agent, the Athletics Integrity Unit has announced. The Kenyan stunned the world when she ran 2hr 9min 56sec at the Chicago marathon last October, a time that shattered the previous record by almost two minutes.
The 30-year-old, however, withdrew from the London Marathon in April where she was due to be the star attraction, saying at the time she was “not in the right place mentally or physically” to race her best.
It has emerged that Chepngetich tested positive for hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ), a banned diuretic and masking agent, on 14 March and, according to the AIU, “opted for a voluntary provisional suspension while the AIU’s investigation was ongoing”.
A notice of charge has been issued against Chepngetich regarding the detection of the prohibited substance – a diuretic – after an investigation into the Kenyan athlete’s positive test which was reported to the AIU on 3 April this year, at an estimated concentration of 3800 ng/mL in urine,” it said.
Chepngetich rose to prominence in 2018, when she ran 2:18.35 – then the 10th fastest marathon time in history – and followed it up a year later by winning the silver medal at the 2019 world championships. In 2021 she then won her first Chicago marathon before following it up a year later in 2022, when she ran 2:14.18. That time broke her personal best by three minutes, but two years later there was an even bigger jump when she ran 2:09.56 to shatter Tigst Assefa’s previous world record of 2:11.53.