Jepchirchir suspended over EPO

Kenya's world marathon champion Peres Jepchirchir has been provisionally suspended after a sample taken before her Sydney Marathon victory tested positive for the banned blood booster EPO. In a statement on Friday, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said the out-of-competition sample, collected in Kenya, returned an adverse analytical finding for EPO, which increases red blood cell production.

The athlete's manager, Gianni Demadonna, said in a written statement that Jepchirchir was deeply upset by the situation, and that it was right for an athlete who used performance-enhancing substances to be disqualified.

The 33-year-old won gold at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics and had major wins at the New York (2021), Boston (2022), London (2024) and Sydney (2026) marathons. She also held the half marathon world record. Jepchirchir is the latest of more than 140 Kenyan athletes sanctioned by the AIU, which was established in 2017.

Sydney Marathon organizers said they were "extremely disappointed" by the news and reaffirmed their commitment to clean sport. At the August race, Jepchirchir finished in 2 hours 18 minutes 31 seconds, more than three minutes ahead of her compatriot Irine Cheptai, who came second.

Last year, Kenyan world record holder Ruth Chepngetich was also banned for three years for the prohibited diuretic hydrochlorothiazide. However, her 2 hours 9 minutes 56 seconds world record, set before the positive test, remains on the record books.