5 Kenyan Athletes Who Were Banned for Doping After Ruth Chepng’etich Bombshell
- Ruth Chepng'etich is the latest Kenyan athlete to test positive for prohibited substances
- The 30-year-old made history last year by obliterating the women's marathon world record in Chicago
- She will likely join Rita Jeptoo and Lawrence Cherono on the list of top Kenyan athletes to be banned for doping
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Ruth Chepng'etich is facing a potential ban from athletics after testing positive for a banned substance, joining a growing list of Kenyan athletes who have been sanctioned for doping.
Source: Getty Images
Doping has become a major issue in Kenyan athletics, with Chepng'etich emerging as perhaps the most high-profile athlete to be caught using prohibited substances.
As a result, many of their world records, including Beatrice Chebet's 5000m mark, have come under scrutiny. Some have called for the country to be banned.
Which Kenyan athletes were banned for doping?
Aside from Chepng'etich, many Kenyan athletes, including Olympic champions and former world record holders, have been sanctioned over the past 25 years for using prohibited substances.
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Lawrence Cherono
Cherono was banned for seven years after testing positive for banned substances and attempting to manipulate the anti-doping process in 2022. He had previously won the 2019 Boston and Chicago Marathons.
He tested positive for trimetazidine, a drug typically used for heart-related conditions. According to BBC Sport, it enhances endurance in sports.
He also finished fourth at the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.
Source: Getty Images
Rita Jeptoo
Jeptoo is perhaps one of the biggest doping cases Kenya has faced. She was banned for four years in 2014 after testing positive for the blood-boosting drug EPO.
She was later stripped of her 2014 Boston and Chicago Marathon wins. Her career was never the same after that.
Jemimah Sumgong
Sumgong became the first Kenyan woman to win a gold medal in the marathon at the Olympic Games. However, her win is tainted.
She was banned for eight years starting in 2017 for testing positive for EPO. She was initially given a four-year ban in 2017, which was doubled in 2019. Sumgong won the London marathon in 2019.
The Guardian reported that Sumgong had fabricated her medical records and lied about her whereabouts.
Rhonex Kipruto
Kipruto smashed the 10-kilometre world record in Valencia in 2020. In June 2024, he was banned for six years by AIU for testing positive for a banned substance.
"Involved in a deliberate and sophisticated doping regime over a long period of time in order to artificially enhance his performance through doping," the AIU statement read.
He won a bronze medal in the 10000 meters at the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar. His world record was erased.
Sarah Chepchirchir
The former Tokyo Marathon winner was handed an eight-year ban in February 2024 for breaching anti-doping rules for the second time.
She tested positive for testosterone and had been initially banned for four years in 2019 for breaking anti-doping rules.
Emmaculate Anyango Achol, Rodgers Kwemoi, Celestine Chepchirchir, and Faith Chepkoech are other athletes banned. The AIU list of banned athletes includes more than 100 Kenyans.
American runner blasts Ruth Chepng'etich
In a related story, TUKO.co.ke reported that American record holder Emily Sisson called out Chepng'etich.
She lost to the Kenyan at the 2022 Chicago Marathon, and the latest news, she says, feels "like a punch in the gut."
Her world record was a subject of discussion on social media and the Kenyan parliament.
Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
