AIU hands Ruth Chepng’etich a three-year ban
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - OCTOBER 09: Ruth Chepngetich of Kenya celebrates as she crosses the finish line to win the professional women's division of the 2022 Chicago Marathon on October 09, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. Michael Reaves/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images via AFP)
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The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said her explanation was “hardly credible” after tests showed high levels of Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) in her sample from March 2025.
The AIU confirmed that the 31-year-old tested positive from a sample collected leading to an investigation into the presence and use of the banned diuretic. HCTZ is known as a masking agent, often used to hide other prohibited substances.
When first questioned on April 16, 2025, Chepng’etich said she could not explain how the substance entered her body. Investigators later tested all her supplements and medicines none contained HCTZ.
During a second interview on July 11, 2025, AIU investigators presented evidence from her phone suggesting possible intentional use, but she maintained her innocence.
However, on July 31, 2025, she changed her story, saying she had fallen ill two days before the test and took her housemaid’s medication without checking what it contained. She later sent a photo showing the blister pack clearly labelled Hydrochlorothiazide.
The AIU said her new explanation was “hardly credible” and described her action as recklessness amounting to indirect intent, which carries a standard four-year ban. Since she admitted the charge within 20 days on September 10, 2025 the ban was reduced to three years.
“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,” said AIU Head Brett Clothier.
AIU Chair David Howman added: “While disappointing for those who trusted this athlete, this is how the system is supposed to work. The road-running industry deserves credit for supporting anti-doping efforts that keep the sport clean.”
Chepng’etich, a former world marathon champion and three-time Chicago Marathon winner, will be ineligible to compete until September 2028.
The disqualification applies from March 14, 2025, meaning her world marathon record still stands.
In October 2024, Chepng’etich stunned the world when she smashed the marathon world record at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, clocking 2:09:56 nearly two minutes faster than Tigist Assefa’s previous record of 2:11:53 set in Berlin in 2023.
It was her third Chicago Marathon title and she also chopped more than four minutes off her previous best of 2:14:18 set in 2022.
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