Ruth Chepngetich, the ladies’s marathon world record holder, has been provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) for a banned substance.
The diuretic hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) was detected in a pattern collected from Kenyan Chepngetich on 14 March, the AIU mentioned in an announcement., exterior
Chepngetich, 30, broke the world record to win the Chicago Marathon in October 2024, clocking a time of two hours, 9 minutes and 56 seconds.
HCTZ is used clinically to deal with fluid retention and hypertension and is a prohibited always beneath the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) Code.
Chepngetich’s time in Chicago surpassed Ethiopian Tigst Assefa’s earlier record set on the 2023 Berlin Marathon by practically two minutes.
Used generally as a masking agent, HCTZ has a minimal reporting stage of 20 nanograms per millilitre (ng/mL) in urine. Chepngetich’s pattern confirmed 3,800 ng/mL.
Chepngetich was not provisionally suspended by the AIU on the time of notification on 16 April. However, on 19 April, she opted for a voluntary provisional suspension whereas the AIU’s investigation was ongoing.
“In the intervening months, the AIU continued its investigation and right this moment issued a Notice of Charge and imposed its personal provisional suspension,” AIU head Brett Clothier mentioned.