Marathon world record holder suspended for doping
The 30-year-old Kenyan, who shattered the previous world record by more than two minutes last October, was found to have the prohibited substance hydrochlorothiazide in her system following a test on March 14. The substance, which is a diuretic, may be abused to mask the presence in urine of other prohibited substances.
Chepngetich was not immediately charged but opted for a voluntary suspension on April 19 shortly after pulling out of the London Marathon because she was not 'in the right place mentally or physically'.
Brett Clothier, who heads up the Athletics Integrity Unit, said: 'In the intervening months, the AIU continued its investigation and today issued a notice of charge and imposed its own provisional suspension.'
The 2:10 barrier was long considered unbreakable for a woman – and her finishing time in Chicago of 2:09:56 was more than five minutes quicker than Paula Radcliffe's 2003 world record, which stood for 16 years, and eight minutes clear that day of the second-placed athlete. It sent shockwaves through the sport and, at the time, had only ever been bettered by 22 British men.
'It's a time we can't really comprehend – a time we would never have thought was possible,' said Britain's Jo Pavey, the former European 10,000m champion, who was commentating on the race for Eurosport.
There were also immediate questions, however, with the American journalist Robert Johnson asking at the press conference whether it was 'too good to be true'. Hundreds of Kenyan athletes have served doping suspensions over the past decade.
Athletics Kenya issued a statement in which they said that 'singling out' Chepngetich, who was also the 2019 world champion, was unfair. 'Such aspersions, made without due process, undermine not only her efforts but the integrity of the sport,' the statement said. 'It is important to note that Ruth, like all athletes in major competitions, underwent multiple anti-doping tests, both pre-race and post-race.'
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