Cliff Notes
- Ruth Chepngetich, the women’s marathon world record-holder, has been provisionally suspended after testing positive for hydrochlorothiazide, a banned diuretic.
- The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) confirmed the suspension following a urine sample collected on 14 March, with the results reported on 3 April.
- Chepngetich voluntarily chose to be suspended on 19 April during the ongoing investigation, which has no specified timeline for a disciplinary case.
Ruth Chepngetich: Women’s marathon world record-holder provisionally suspended after positive doping test | World News
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Women’s marathon world record-holder Ruth Chepngetich has been provisionally suspended after a positive doping test.
The move was announced by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) on Thursday after the test result was reported to them on 3 April.
The Kenyan runner had given a urine sample on 14 March which was found to contain a banned diuretic, the AIU said.
The substance that Chepngetich tested positive for, hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ), can be used to disguise the use of performance-enhancing drugs.
HCTZ works by reducing the amount of water in the body by increasing the flow of urine
Chepngetich opted for a “voluntary provisional suspension” on 19 April “while the AIU’s investigation was ongoing”, the unit said.
She was interviewed in person in Kenya in April and “complied with requests regarding our investigation”, AIU official Brett Clothier said in a statement.
The AIU gave no timetable for a disciplinary case for the 30-year-old runner.
Chepngetich set the women’s world marathon record by almost two minutes at the Chicago Marathon last October in 2 hours, 9 minutes, 56 seconds. It was her third win in Chicago.
She also won the marathon at the 2019 world championships in Qatar, where the women’s race started at midnight to avoid extreme daytime heat.