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Ruth Chepngetich Officially Banned For Doping, Marathon WR Holder

Ruth Chepngetich Officially Banned For Doping, Marathon WR Holder

Ruth Chepngetich has officially been banned from the sport by the AIU after being provisionally suspended earlier this year.

Oct 23, 2025 by John Davern
Ruth Chepngetich Officially Banned For Doping, Marathon WR Holder

Ruth Chepngetich has officially received a three year ban from the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) following her provisional suspension earlier this year.

Chepngetich, the women's marathon world record holder, admitted to anti-doping rule violations regarding the presence of Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ). She tested positive with an estimated concentration of 3800ng/mL in her urine sample, whereas the legal limit is 20ng/mL. HCTZ is a diuretic and is considered a masking agent.

She previously set the Marathon World Record at the 2024 Chicago Marathon with her 2:09:56 run. Skeptics questioned the authenticity of her effort as she broke the previous WR by nearly two minutes.

Her initial positive test came on March 14, 2025. The AIU then interviewed Chepngetich on April 16. At the time, she did not have an explanation for the positive result. To rule out the possibility of contamination, the AIU collected evidence from medications and supplements that Chepgnetich provided. These were then tested by a WADA-Accredited laboratory and HCTZ was not found on said materials.

The AIU also made a copy of her cell phone for analysis. According to the AIU, data recovered from the device indicated a "reasonable suspicion" that her positive test may have been intentional. In a second interview, Ruth Chepngetich maintained her position.

The AIU discovered a WhatsApp message screenshot that showed that Chepngetich had recieved a message containing images of Testosterone vials, as well as messages from an "unidentified third parties working on 'programs' possibly related to doping" according to the AIU findings report.

She claimed that she did not request or respond to the message regarding the vials. She also stated that she may have unintentionally taken a screenshot.

Additional messages were presented from 2022, 2023, and 2025.

On July 31, 2025, Chepngetich claimed that she had become ill two days before her test and had taken a medication without verifying the legality of the substance according to WADA rules. She claimed that she had forgotten to share this incident with AIU investigators.

On August 22, 2025, the AIU Issued Chepngetich a Notice of Charge seeking a four year sanction, claiming that her story indicated an "indirect intent". Chepngetich then admitted to the violation and accepted the proposed sanction on September 10, 2025. As a result, she was automatically granted a one-year reduction on her original four-year sentence.

"The case regarding the positive test for HCTZ has been resolved, but the AIU will continue to investigate the suspicious material recovered from Chepng’etich’s phone to determine if any other violations have occurred. In the meantime, all Chepng’etich’s achievements and records pre-dating the 14 March 2025 sample stand,” said AIU Head Brett Clothier in a provided statement.

Following Chepngetich's record breaking run in Chicago, she had a surprisingly poor run at the Nationale-Nederlanden San Silvestre Vallecana, a 10,000m road race in Spain on December 31. She finished second with a 31:32, in a pace slower than her record-cetting marathon effort.

In March of 2025 she posted a 1:06:20 Half Marathon in Lisbon (POR), finishing second.

She then withdrew out of the 2025 London Marathon field, which was scheduled for April 27.

""I'm not in the right place mentally or physically to race my best in London and I am therefore withdrawing," she said in a provided statement. "I am very sad to miss the race and I hope to be back next year."

Her withdrawal came on April 18, a day before her voluntary provisional suspension began.

What is Hydrochlorothiazide?

According to the AIU - HCTZ is a diuretic and clinically used to treat fluid retention. It is a class S5 prohibited substance and prohibited at all times. Diuretics may be abused to mask the presence of other prohibited substances.

According to the Mayo Clinic - HCTZ is most often used to treat high blood pressure, but it is also used to treat fluid retention (edema). It is a thiazide diuretic (water pill) and it is used to reduce the amount of water in the body by increasing the flow of urine.

What is the AIU?

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) is World Athletics' independent body that manages integrity issues in the sport. They manage both doping and non-doping violations. The AIU's role is to "drive cheats out of the sport" and to support honest athletics.

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