Marathon world record holder Ruth Chepngetich suspended for doping violation

Kenyan marathon runner Ruth Chepngetich, the first woman to break the 2:10:00 barrier and current world record holder, has been provisionally suspended for doping by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU).

The 30-year-old Chepngetich, who finished second in the Lisbon Half Marathon less than a week prior, returned an adverse analytical finding on March 14th.

The test detected a prohibited diuretic and masking agent. Chepngetich has accepted a voluntary provisional suspension while the AIU investigation is ongoing.

She set the world record of 2:09:55 at the Chicago Marathon on October 13th, 2023, shaving nearly two minutes off the previous record of 2:11:53 set by Ethiopia's Tigist Assefa in Berlin on September 24th, 2023