Latest news with #WADA
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
BBC News
6 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
World record holder Chepngetich suspended for doping
Ruth Chepngetich, the women's marathon world record holder, has been provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) for a banned diuretic hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) was detected in a sample collected from Kenyan Chepngetich on 14 March, the AIU said in a statement., externalChepngetich, 30, broke the world record to win the Chicago Marathon in October 2024, clocking a time of two hours, nine minutes and 56 seconds. HCTZ is used clinically to treat fluid retention and hypertension and is a prohibited at all times under the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) Code. Chepngetich's time in Chicago surpassed Ethiopian Tigst Assefa's previous record set at the 2023 Berlin Marathon by nearly two minutes. Used commonly as a masking agent, HCTZ has a minimum reporting level of 20 nanograms per millilitre (ng/mL) in urine. Chepngetich's sample showed 3,800 ng/ was not provisionally suspended by the AIU at the time of notification on 16 April. 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," AIU head Brett Clothier said.
New York Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Marathon world record-holder Ruth Chepngetich provisionally suspended over doping violation
Marathon world record-holder Ruth Chepngetich has been provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) for a doping violation. Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ), a diuretic that is included on the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) banned list, was found in a sample of Chepngetich's urine collected on March 14, five days after she finished second in the Lisbon Half Marathon with a time of 1:06:20. Advertisement HCTZ is used clinically to treat fluid retention by increasing the flow of urine. This can be used to mask the presence of other banned substances. Under WADA regulations, the threshold for a positive test for HCTZ is 20ng/mL in urine. The 30-year-old's result was an estimated 3800 ng/mL, the AIU said. The Athletic has approached Chepngetich for comment. The marathoner was notified of the result and interviewed in person by the AIU on April 16 and was cooperative, the AIU said in a media release. On April 19, she opted for a voluntary provisional suspension while the investigation was ongoing, before the Notice of Charge and suspension from the integrity unit in July. She has the right to have her case heard at a disciplinary tribunal. Chepngetich is currently ranked eighth in the world for the women's marathon after becoming the first woman in history to clock a sub-two hour, 10 minute time over the distance in Chicago last year, besting the previous milestone time by nearly two minutes. She was due to compete in the London Marathon in April but pulled out ahead of the event saying she was 'not in the right place mentally or physically to race my best'.
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First Post
15-07-2025
- Sport
- First Post
'Last four or five months were very stressful': Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek address drug bans at Wimbledon Champions Dinner
Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek clinched their respective maiden Wimbledon titles this past weekend. The win turns out to be even more special for both as they faced drug bans recently. read more Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek made history at the weekend by claiming their maiden Wimbledon championship respectively. After living their glory day at the iconic Centre Court, the champions attended the customary Wimbledon Champions Dinner that took place following the culmination of the tournament. Following the event, Sinner addressed the sensitive subject of their respective drug bans and revealed they even chatted after the concerned topic. Also Read | Nadal sends message of support to Anisimova after crushing Wimbledon final defeat: 'Be proud' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Jannik Sinner on the drug bans he and Iga Swiatek faced Sinner was handed a three-month ban in February following two positive doping tests after reaching an agreement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Swiatek, on the other hand, accepted a one-month suspension in November last year after testing positive for a banned substance. After serving the respective bans, the two have made a blistering return to the court, amplifying a statement of dominance with Wimbledon victory. Sinner lifted the Wimbledon trophy by overcoming familiar foe Carlos Alcaraz in the final. The Italian dethroned the two-time Wimbledon champion by winning the match in four sets (4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4). Meanwhile, Swiatek vanquished Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 in the Women's final. Sinner spoke to BBC Sport to discuss his Wimbledon triumph on Monday. And reflecting on his chat with Swiatek, he explained: 'Well, me and Iga, we actually talked yesterday about this and we've been celebrating, in a way, even more because it was a very difficult time for her and also for me. 'And only me and my team and the people who are close to me know exactly how it went. 'There are always going to be some people who believe in you and who [do] not, but this is in everything. 'So yeah, in a way it's very special, because it was very, very stressful, the time on the last four or five months.'
The Independent
14-07-2025
- Health
- The Independent
The uncomfortable truth behind this year's Wimbledon champions
A tradition once discarded but now an annual convention, the iconic dance between the men's and women's singles champion took place at the Wimbledon Ball on Sunday night. Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek, two natural introverts, smiled and laughed their way through a shake and a twirl at the Raffles London hotel in Whitehall. It was an endearing sight. Both were well-deserved first-time champions at the All England Club in their respective finals over the weekend. Sinner downed his arch rival and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, five weeks on from his French Open heartbreak, while Swiatek claimed the first double bagel in a Wimbledon final in 114 years. But both, inescapably, have an elephant lurking in the corner of the ballroom. Last year, to the shock of the sporting world, Sinner and Swiatek failed drug tests. Sinner twice tested positive for the banned anabolic steroid clostebol, first at the Indian Wells Masters tournament in March 2024 and then in an out-of-competition sample eight days later. The case was only made public four months later, prior to the US Open, when the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) cleared Sinner of any wrongdoing. By February of this year, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) entered a 'case resolution agreement' with Sinner, handing him a three-month suspension. Sinner accepted the offer, keen to avoid a lengthy legal battle. WADA accepted the cause, which read that Sinner's physiotherapist Giocomo Naldi cut his finger on a scapel and used a spray, which was 'easily available over the counter in any Italian pharmacy', containing clostebol to treat his finger. Naldi than gives Sinner a daily full-body massage and the Italian player later tested positive. As for Swiatek, the Pole accepted a one-month suspension after testing positive for prohibited substance trimetazidine (TMZ) in August. It is a medication used to treat heart conditions, but Swiatek was found to have been 'at the lowest end of the range for no significant fault or negligence' by the ITIA. It only became public in November, after the 2024 season concluded. Swiatek explained that the positive test was caused by a contaminated supply of the non-prescription medication melatonin, which she uses to help with jet lag and sleep issues, provided to her by her physio. The product was contaminated during manufacturing, an investigation concluded, resulting in an extremely low trace of TMZ. In both cases, the reasoning has been accepted by the authoritative bodies involved. What is less digestible, for fans of the sport and various sections of the locker room, is the notion of preferential treatment for two of tennis's top players. Swiatek's one-month ban covered the Asian swing of tournaments after last year's US Open. Sinner's three-month suspension this year took place between the Australian Open in January (which he won) and the French Open in May. He was even back a day before his home tournament, the Italian Open. Neither missed a Grand Slam. As such, it was not an uncommon viewpoint that it all looked a little too convenient. Three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka stated he 'didn't believe in a clean sport anymore' after news of Sinner's three-month ban and the timing of it. World No 4 Jessica Pegula said after Swiatek's suspension that it 'seems so hit or miss with how people get punished.' Nick Kyrgios, rather more bluntly, lamented both cases, and simply posted an asterisk on X after Sinner's Wimbledon triumph on Sunday night. By contrast to Sinner and Swiatek, British doubles specialist Tara Moore was provisionally suspended for 19 months after testing positive for banned substances boldenone and nandrolone in 2022. The ITIA, eventually, accepted her testimony that she had eaten contaminated meat while competing in Colombia, but only in December 2023, by which point Moore had lost her ranking points and a heap of potential prize money. 'I guess only the top players' images matter,' Moore wrote on X last summer, after Sinner's case became public. 'I guess only the independent tribunal's opinion on the top players is taken as sound and right. Yet, they question them in my case. Just makes no sense.' It would be far easier to overlook the muddy waters surrounding Sinner and Swiatek in the last year. Both showed exceptional technical and athletic skill in their triumphs on the grass of SW19 in the last fortnight. And both have their integrity intact, after episodes which will no doubt have kept them awake at night. But there is a genuine undertone of whether they, particularly Sinner, were fortunate to be competing at Wimbledon at all. To call the length of their suspensions, and their timing, favourable would be an understatement. For the winners of the most prestigious tournament in the world to have been shrouded in such contentious cases, in just the last 12 months, is a damaging and uncomfortable look for tennis.
