Kenya’s marathon sensation and women’s world record holder Ruth Chepngetich has been handed a three-year ban following a positive test for a banned substance earlier this year, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) confirmed on Thursday.
Chepngetich tested positive for Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ), a diuretic often used medically for hypertension and fluid retention, in a sample collected on March 14. Diuretics like HCTZ can also mask other prohibited substances, according to the World Anti-Doping Agency. She had accepted a provisional suspension while the investigation was ongoing.
The AIU reduced Chepngetich’s ban from four years to three after she admitted the violation. She will now be eligible to return to competition in April 2028. All her results from March 14 onward have been annulled, although her record-breaking 2:09:56 marathon in Chicago last year remains intact.
During the investigation, Chepngetich initially claimed she had never doped. She later explained that she had taken medication belonging to her housemaid after feeling unwell shortly before the positive test, but failed to inform investigators at the time. The AIU called this explanation “hardly credible,” citing it as reckless behavior indicating “indirect intent.”
The concentration of HCTZ in her sample was 3,800 ng/ml—far above the minimum reporting limit of 20 ng/ml. After acknowledging her mistake and accepting the sanction within 20 days, her suspension was reduced by a year.
“The case has been resolved, but we will continue to review material from Chepngetich’s phone to ensure no further violations occurred,” said AIU head Brett Clothier. AIU chair David Howman emphasized that “nobody is above the rules” in the fight against doping.
Chepngetich, 31, is a three-time Chicago Marathon winner and 2019 world champion. Last October, she made history as the first woman to run a marathon under 2:10, breaking Ethiopia’s Tigist Assefa’s record by nearly two minutes.
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