Women's marathon world record-holder Ruth Chepngetich has been handed a three-year doping ban after the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) rejected her claim that a failed drugs test resulted from taking her housemaid's medication. The 31-year-old Kenyan tested positive for the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) in March 2025, with levels far exceeding the legal limit.
Chepngetich stunned the athletics world in October 2024 when she ran 2hr 9min 56sec at the Chicago Marathon, shattering the previous world record by nearly two minutes. However, her performance was immediately met with scepticism. Despite the ban, she will retain her world record because the positive test occurred after that race.
The AIU stated that Chepngetich initially could not explain the positive test. In July 2025, after being confronted with evidence from her mobile phone suggesting intentional doping, she claimed she had been ill two days before the test and took medication from her housemaid. The AIU found this explanation 'hardly credible' and sought a four-year ban, which was reduced to three years after Chepngetich admitted to an anti-doping rule violation.
AIU chair David Howman said the case proved that 'nobody is above the rules'. He added: 'While disappointing for those who put their trust in this athlete, this is how the system is supposed to work.' The AIU also discovered screenshots on Chepngetich's phone regarding testosterone and messages about potential doping programmes, which remain under investigation.
Chepngetich had withdrawn from the 2025 London Marathon just days before the event. The ban means she cannot compete until 2028, but all her achievements prior to March 14, 2025, including the world record, stand.
