Peres Jepchirchir, the reigning world marathon champion, has been provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit after an out-of-competition sample taken in Kenya tested positive for EPO, the banned blood booster.
The sample was collected before her win at the Sydney Marathon in August, where she finished in 2:18:31, more than three minutes clear of compatriot Irine Cheptai. A provisional suspension is not a final ruling: she is entitled to due process, and the Sydney organisers say they will not comment further until the case is decided.
The 33-year-old is one of the biggest names in road running. She won Olympic gold in Tokyo in 2021, holds the half-marathon world record, and has won four World Marathon Majors: New York in 2021, Boston in 2022, London in 2024 and Sydney this year. Her agent, Gianni Demadonna, said in a statement: "I can only say that I feel terrible about what happened."
The case puts her world title defence at the 2027 World Athletics Championships in doubt and hits Kenyan distance running hard again. Last year, women's marathon world record holder Ruth Chepngetich was banned for three years over a prohibited diuretic. The Majors say they have already put more money into out-of-competition testing with the AIU.
Source
Original summary by Proventier.