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Kenyan Marathon Champion Jepchirchir Suspended for EPO
· Confirmed
In Short: World marathon champion Peres Jepchirchir has been provisionally suspended after testing positive for EPO.
World marathon champion Peres Jepchirchir has been provisionally suspended after testing positive for the banned blood booster EPO in a sample taken before her Sydney Marathon victory, according to the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) reported by Al Jazeera (Qatar) and LEADERSHIP Newspapers (Nigeria).
Al Jazeera (Qatar) and LEADERSHIP Newspapers (Nigeria) both reported that Jepchirchir won the Sydney Marathon in August, finishing in 2:18:31, more than three minutes ahead of second-placed compatriot Irine Cheptai. The Toronto Star (Canada) and BBC (United Kingdom) also confirmed her victory.
Jepchirchir's agent, Gianni Demadonna, expressed regret over the incident, stating, “I can only say that I feel terrible about what happened and I think it’s only right that an athlete who uses performance enhancing drugs should be disqualified,” as reported by Al Jazeera (Qatar).
Sydney Marathon organizers expressed disappointment in a statement on social media, saying, “Jepchirchir is entitled to due process and we will make no further comment on the case until that process has concluded,” according to Al Jazeera (Qatar), LEADERSHIP Newspapers (Nigeria), and the Toronto Star (Canada).
The AIU, which investigates doping in track and field on behalf of World Athletics, posted on X that “an out-of-competition sample, collected in Kenya prior to her recent Sydney Marathon victory, returned an adverse analytical finding for EPO,” as reported by goSkagit.
Jepchirchir’s career highlights include winning the women’s marathon at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and securing the gold medal at the World Championships in the same city in September 2025, according to LEADERSHIP Newspapers (Nigeria) and Uzalendo News (Kenya).
The Athletics Integrity Unit’s announcement came as a fresh blow to Kenyan athletics, with the Toronto Star (Canada) and The Guardian noting that Jepchirchir is a four-time World Marathon Major winner, having captured the Sydney Marathon (2026), the London Marathon (2024), the Boston Marathon (2022), and the New York Marathon (2021).
Jepchirchir also made history when she broke the half marathon world record in 2017 while in the early stages of pregnancy, according to World Athletics, as reported by goSkagit.
The provisional suspension means Jepchirchir is barred from competition while the case proceeds, as noted by LEADERSHIP Newspapers (Nigeria).
World Anti-Doping Agency president Witold Banka emphasized the need for a “more determined approach” to retain credibility in sports, as quoted by goSkagit.
Both Al Jazeera (Qatar) and LEADERSHIP Newspapers (Nigeria) reported that Jepchirchir’s sample was collected in Kenya prior to her Sydney Marathon victory, while the Toronto Star (Canada) and BBC (United Kingdom) confirmed her provisional suspension.
All outlets agree that Jepchirchir, a former Olympic and World Championships marathon gold medallist, has been provisionally suspended by the AIU after testing positive for EPO.
What's confirmed
- Kenya’s world marathon champion Peres Jepchirchir has been provisionally suspended after testing positive for the banned blood booster EPO in a sample taken before her Sydney Marathon victory, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said.
- “I can only say that I feel terrible about what happened and I think it’s only right that an athlete who uses performance enhancing drugs should be disqualified,” her agent Gianni Demadonna said in an emailed statement.
- Sydney Marathon organisers said they were “extremely disappointed” to learn about Jepchirchir’s provisional suspension.
- “Jepchirchir is entitled to due process and we will make no further comment on the case until that process has concluded,” organisers said in a statement on social media.
- Peres Jepchirchir won the 2026 Sydney marathon by three minutes and 40 seconds Olympic and World Championships marathon gold medallist Peres Jepchirchir has been provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit after an out-of-competition sample tested positive for EPO.
- Jepchirchir won the women’s marathon at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and returned to Tokyo in September 2025 to win the world championships title.
- Sydney became the seventh world major in 2025, and Jepchirchir won it by more than three minutes ahead of fellow Kenyan Irene Chepet Cheptai.
- The athlete is provisionally suspended while the case is investigated, while the AIU said Jepchirchir’s out-of-competition sample had been collected in Kenya prior to her recent Sydney Marathon victory.
- FILE - Peres Jepchirchir of Kenya reacts after crossing the finish line at the Opera House to win the women's Sydney Marathon, in Sydney, Sunday, Aug.
- Jepchirchir's representative Gianni Demadonna declined to comment when contacted by The Associated Press.
- Jepchirchir won women's marathon gold at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and the world title last year.
- Jepchirchir also made history when she broke the half marathon world record in 2017 while in the early stages of pregnancy, according to governing body World Athletics.
What's still developing
- “That conviction is why, alongside our fellow Abbott World Marathon Majors, we have invested in increased out-of-competition testing in partnership with the AlU, and why we will keep standing firmly with the athletes who compete cleanly.” The 33-year-old is a former Olympic champion and half-marathon world record holder, as well as a four-time World Marathon Majors winner.
- “Kenya proudly calls itself the home of champions. But for that home to remain respected and credible, it must also be clean,” Banka said during a visit to the East African nation.
- Ngetich led from gun to tape on a sunny morning in Copenhagen to set a new time of 01:05:15 seconds, lowering the old mark set by Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir of 1:01:16 from 2020.
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- Last year, Kenya’s women’s marathon world record holder Ruth Chepngetich was banned for three years after admitting anti-doping rule violations involving hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ), a prohibited diuretic, though her world record of 2:09:56 remained on the books because it was set before her positive test.