Latest news with #RuthChepng'etich
Indian Express
5 days ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
Marathon record holder provisionally suspended for Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ)
World marathon record holder Ruth Chepng'etich was provisionally suspended from competing after detection of a banned substance in a drugs test. Hydro-chloro-thia-zide (HCTZ) – chemical formula C7H8ClN3O4S2 – also known as water pill, is a diuretic and used clinically to treat fluid retention and hypertension. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) categorizes the substance as s5 for diuretics and masking agents, which is prohibited at all times. Chepng'etich had smashed the women's marathon world record in 2024 at Chicago, becoming the first woman to go under 2:10 hours. But the Kenyan athlete failed a drug test she completed earlier this year. An investigation had been ongoing and the Athletics Integrity Unit now enforced the suspension. Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) was detected in a urine sample collected from the Kenyan athlete on March 14, 2025. Chepng'etich's Chicago Marathon was completed in 2:09.56. The 30-year-old was informed of the test result in April. Head of the AIU, Brett Clothier said: 'When there is a positive test for diuretics and masking agents, a provisional suspension is not mandatory under the World Anti-Doping Code. Chepng'etich was not provisionally suspended by the AIU at the time of notification, however, on 19 April, she opted for a voluntary provisional suspension while the AIU's investigation was ongoing.' 'In the intervening months, the AIU continued its investigation and today issued a Notice of Charge and imposed its own provisional suspension.' The Kenyan can seek recourse asking her case to be heard before a disciplinary tribunal. Winner of the world marathon title in Doha in 2019, beating Bahrain's Rose Chelimo and Namibia's Helalia Johannes, Chepng'etich had won the Chicago Marathon in 2021 and 2022. Marathon running has been hit with a spate of high-profile doping cases in recent years, particularly from Kenya which is world renowned for its middle and long-distance runners. In April 2023, Athletics Kenya said its government pledged $5 million per year for five years to fight doping in athletics. – With Reuters inputs
Irish Independent
01-05-2025
- Science
- Irish Independent
Female athletes ‘closing the performance gap' with men in certain events, study finds
Men have historically outperformed women in athletic competitions such as the Olympic 100m races, while women dominate sports like shooting and equestrian events. The performance gap between the sexes in athletics has also narrowed since the 20th century, followed by a period of stability thereafter. A new study, published in the journal Frontiers in Physiology, found female athletes are rapidly closing the performance gap with men in ultramarathons and Arctic expeditions, and may one day overtake them in these endeavours. Until now, much of what scientists know about sex-specific differences in exercise or sports performance has been from laboratory-based studies. While these studies are well-controlled, revealing insights on physiological mechanisms, they lack practical relevance to the 'real world', researchers said. A closer observation of real-world athletic performance in extreme sports reveals an overall shrinking gap between males and females. For instance, the current men's marathon world record is held by the late Kenyan athlete Kelvin Kiptum at two hours 35 seconds, set during the Chicago Marathon in 2023. In comparison, the women's record was set in the same event by Ruth Chepng'etich – also a Kenyan – at two hours, nine minutes and 56 seconds. In 2002, Pamela Reed won the Badwater Ultramarathon – a gruelling 218km race held in Death Valley, California – defeating all her male counterparts. While traits such as strength, power and speed are typically greater in men, recent work suggests the athletic performance gap between the sexes decreases as the distance or duration of an event increases. Developments such as improved footwear and pacesetters, as well as better nutrition, can bridge the performance gap in more such extreme athletic events, scientists said. Under extreme conditions, women also seem to exhibit greater metabolic efficiency than men. This especially appears to be the case during events conducted in extreme cold conditions. Women spent lower total energy relative to load carriage compared to men during the Alaska Mountain Wilderness Ski Classic – a remote and unsupported 200km Arctic winter expedition, according to the latest study. ADVERTISEMENT Researchers described a phenomenon called an 'Arctic shift' in female athletes, indicating the activation of cold-induced body heat generation at a lower temperature compared to males. This physiological process could be reducing their metabolic demands under cold stress, scientists suspect. Over the last four decades, the gap in race durations between males and females has decreased by about 3pc in events lasting six, 72, 144, and 240 hours. When men and women compete in similar numbers, the gap decreases even further. However, fewer elite female athletes participate in such ultraevents. 'Emerging data from endurance events conducted in extreme environments suggest that women may be equally, if not more, metabolically resilient under physical and nutritional stress,' researchers said.
The Independent
30-04-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Women set to outperform men in these athletic sports, study finds
Female athletes are closing the performance gap with their male peers and may soon overtake them in extreme sports events like ultramarathons, a new study finds. Men have historically outperformed women in athletic competitions like the Olympic 100m races, while women dominate sports like shooting and equestrian events. The performance gap between the sexes in athletics has also narrowed since the 20th century, followed by a period of stability thereafter. Now, a new study, published in the journal Frontiers in Physiology, finds that female athletes are rapidly closing the performance gap with men in ultramarathons and Arctic expeditions and may one day overtake them in these endeavours. Until now, much of what scientists know about sex-specific differences in exercise or sports performance has been from laboratory-based studies. While these studies are well-controlled, revealing insights on physiological mechanisms, they lack practical relevance to the 'real world', researchers say. A closer observation of real-world athletic performance in extreme sports reveals an overall shrinking gap between males and females. For instance, the current men's marathon world record is held by the late Kenyan athlete Kelvin Kiptum at 2 hours 35 seconds, set during the Chicago Marathon in 2023. In comparison, the women's record was set in the same event Ruth Chepng'etich – also a Kenyan – at 2 hours 9 minutes and 56 seconds, which is only about 10 minutes behind her male counterpart. Earlier in 2002, running legend Pamela Reed won the Badwater Ultramarathon – a gruelling 218-km (135-mile) race held in Death Valley, California – defeating all her male counterparts. While traits like strength, power, and speed are typically greater in males, recent work suggests the athletic performance gap between the sexes decreases as the distance or duration of an event increases. Developments like improved footwear and pacesetters to break the wind, as well as better nutrition, can bridge the performance gap in more such extreme athletic events, scientists say. Under extreme conditions, women also seem to exhibit greater metabolic efficiency than men. This appears to be the case, especially during events conducted in extreme cold conditions. Women spent lower total energy relative to load carriage compared to men during the Alaska Mountain Wilderness Ski Classic – a remote and unsupported 200km Arctic winter expedition, according to the latest study. Researchers describe a phenomenon called an 'Arctic shift' in female athletes, indicating the activation of cold-induced body heat generation at a lower temperature compared to males. This physiological process could be reducing their metabolic demands under cold stress, scientists suspect. Over the past four decades, the gap in race durations between males and females has decreased by about 3 per cent in events lasting six, 72, 144, and 240 hours. When males and females compete in similar numbers, the gap decreases even further, but, fewer elite female athletes participate in such ultraevents compared to elite males. Scientists hope to conduct further studies assessing plasma, serum, stool, hair, muscle and fat tissue samples from those participating in gruelling extreme sport events like the Yukon Arctic Ultra (YAU) – the longest and coldest ultramarathon in the world. 'Emerging data from endurance events conducted in extreme environments suggest that women may be equally, if not more, metabolically resilient under physical and nutritional stress,' researchers say.
BBC News
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
How to watch and follow the London Marathon 2025 on the BBC
Thousands will race for glory and good causes as the world's greatest take part in the iconic London Marathon in 2025. This world-famous race always attracts a stellar field, and this is arguably the best-ever, with all four of the Olympic and Paralympic reigning champions competing, the women's world record holder Ruth Chepng'etich, debuts for Eilish McColgan and double Olympic triathlon gold medallist Alex Yee and the return of record four-time winner Eliud Kipchoge. Inspired? Get involved with coverage across the BBC. Watch the London Marathon 2025 on BBC TV and BBC iPlayer You can watch the London Marathon from 8.30am, Sunday 27 April 2025 on BBC iPlayer and BBC One. Gabby Logan is presenting live coverage as 57,000 participants take on the iconic course. Commentary is from Andrew Cotter, Steve Cram, Paula Radcliffe and Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, while Abby Cook, JJ Chalmers, Jeanette Kwakye and Sarah Mulkerrins will all be reporting from the 26.2-mile route. Listen to the London Marathon 2025 on BBC Radio and BBC Sounds You can listen to all the action live from the London Marathon throughout the day on BBC Sounds and BBC Radio London. Eddie Nestor starts the coverage from 8am in Blackheath before Robert Elms takes over from Cutty Sark at 10am. Nick Godwin, Aaron Paul, and Shay Kaur Grewal have you covered throughout the afternoon, with coverage of the route from 1pm - 6pm. Get inspired My Reason to Run Saturday 26 April, BBC iPlayer and BBC One Gabby Logan looks ahead to the 45th London Marathon, one of the most eagerly anticipated events on the sporting calendar, and meets some of the athletes who make it so special. This year's race is set to be the biggest-ever staged. Gabby meets some of the 57,000 participants as they collect their individual race numbers. From the elite athletes to the charity champions and celebrities, we hear some uplifting, inspiring and entertaining stories from the amazing participants who each have their own special reason to run.
