Olympic gold medalist and reigning world champion Peres Jepchirchir has been provisionally suspended after testing positive for the banned blood booster EPO, track and field’s anti-doping authority announced Friday.
The Athletics Integrity Unit, which handles anti-doping operations for World Athletics, stated that an out-of-competition sample collected in Kenya prior to Jepchirchir’s victory at the Sydney Marathon returned an adverse analytical finding for erythropoietin. The substance, widely known as EPO, stimulates red blood cell production to enhance athletic endurance.
Under international sports anti-doping regulations, athletes facing formal charges are temporarily barred from competition while their cases undergo review. Jepchirchir, 33, captured the Sydney Marathon title on Aug. 30 with a time of 2:18:31, finishing more than three minutes ahead of fellow Kenyan competitor Irine Cheptai. Because the sample was obtained prior to the race, her victory in Australia is at risk of being vacated from the official record books.
Agent and Race Organizers Respond
Gianni Demadonna, who is listed by World Athletics as Jepchirchir’s representative, addressed the matter in a statement Friday. “I can only say that I feel terrible about what happened and I think it’s only right that an athlete who uses the performance enhancing drugs should be disqualified,” Demadonna said, according to NBC Sports and Al Jazeera. The Associated Press initially reported that Demadonna had declined to comment.
Organizers of the Sydney Marathon issued a statement saying they were “extremely disappointed” by the development while noting that the runner remains entitled to due process. The organizers emphasized their collaboration with the Abbott World Marathon Majors and the AIU to fund expanded out-of-competition screening, writing that “every athlete who lines up in Sydney deserves to race on a level playing field.”
A Decorated Career Under Scrutiny
Currently ranked fifth globally in the women’s marathon, Jepchirchir holds one of distance running’s most accomplished resumes. She claimed the Olympic marathon gold medal at the Tokyo Games in 2021 and won the world championship title in Tokyo last year. Her career includes victories at the New York City Marathon in 2021, the Boston Marathon in 2022, and the London Marathon in 2024, along with past world records in the half marathon. Earlier this year, she sat out the London Marathon because of a stress fracture before returning to competition in Sydney.
Broader Doping Concerns in Kenyan Athletics
The case marks another high-profile blow for distance running in Kenya, which continues to face persistent scrutiny over performance-enhancing drugs despite being awarded the 2029 world track championships last month. Last year, women’s marathon world record holder Ruth Chepng’etich accepted a three-year ban after admitting to testing positive for a banned diuretic. Former New York champion Albert Korir received a five-year ban in March.
World Anti-Doping Agency President Witold Banka warned earlier this month during a visit to the East African nation that Kenya must adopt a “more determined approach” to maintain credibility. Banka stated that while the nation considers itself the home of champions, “for that home to remain respected and credible, it must also be clean.”
Jepchirchir’s suspension arrived one day after the AIU announced a six-year ban for Ethiopian marathoner Ruti Aga in a separate case involving a positive test and falsified medical records. It remains unknown when Jepchirchir’s formal hearing will take place or whether she plans to challenge the laboratory findings.
