Peres Jepchirchir suspended after an out-of-competition doping test returned a positive result for EPO, the Athletics Integrity Unit announced on Friday.
The 33-year-old Kenyan marathon star, who captured Olympic gold at the Covid-delayed Tokyo Games in 2021 and is the reigning world marathon champion, was provisionally sidelined following the adverse analytical finding for the banned blood booster.
According to the AIU, Jepchirchir’s sample was collected in Kenya before her recent victory at the Sydney Marathon. She remains provisionally suspended while the case is investigated.
Since 2017, more than 140 Kenyan athletes, among them current women’s marathon world record-holder Ruth Chepngetich, have been suspended or banned by the AIU.
Jepchirchir’s decorated résumé includes a former world record in the half marathon and four World Marathon Major titles, with wins at the New York Marathon in 2021, the Boston Marathon in 2022, the London Marathon in 2024, and the Sydney Marathon in 2026.
The decision by World Athletics to award Nairobi the 2029 world championships is expected to heighten scrutiny of Kenya’s anti-doping systems.
Peres Jepchirchir suspended: what comes next
The AIU said standard results management procedures are under way. If the provisional suspension is upheld by a disciplinary panel, Jepchirchir could face a period of ineligibility and disqualification of results from the relevant timeframe, subject to the outcome of the case.
The AIU announcement adds to a growing list of global sports headlines, from major marathons to tennis events such as Japan Open quarter-finals in Osaka, drawing renewed attention to integrity in competition.