Kenya’s Ruth Chepng’etich, the women’s marathon world record holder, has been handed a three-year doping ban by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) after admitting to Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRVs) related to the presence and use of hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ). The 31-year-old athlete, a former world marathon champion and three-time winner of the Chicago Marathon, accepted the charges and sanction following a positive test for the banned diuretic from a sample taken on March 14, 2025.
The AIU investigation found an estimated concentration of 3800ng/mL of HCTZ in Chepng’etich’s urine sample, significantly exceeding the minimum reporting limit of 20ng/ml set by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Initially, Chepng’etich could not provide an explanation for the positive test, but later claimed she had taken her housemaid’s medication, which contained HCTZ, without verifying its contents. The AIU considered this explanation hardly credible and treated her actions as indirect intent, which warranted a four-year sanction.
However, since Chepng’etich admitted the ADRVs and accepted the proposed sanction within 20 days, she was granted an automatic one-year reduction, resulting in a three-year ban. The AIU will continue to investigate suspicious material recovered from Chepng’etich’s phone to determine if any other violations have occurred. All her achievements and records prior to the March 14, 2025, sample remain intact.
The case highlights the commitment of the athletics industry to upholding the integrity of the sport, with AIU Chair David Howman noting that “nobody is above the rules.” The investigation was made possible by the collective funding of anti-doping efforts by the World Athletics Label Road Race Programme, supported by races like the Chicago Marathon, athlete representatives, athletes, and shoe brands such as adidas, ASICS, On, and Nike. The outcome demonstrates the effectiveness of the anti-doping system in detecting and addressing violations, even among elite athletes.
