On 13 October 2024, Ruth Chepngetich made headlines for becoming the first woman in history to break the 2:10 barrier for the marathon, having stormed to a significant women’s marathon world record of 2:09:56 at that morning’s Chicago Marathon.
But today, on 17 July 2025, Chepngetich is making headlines for reasons that shouldn’t be celebrated. Specifically, the Kenyan athlete has been provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), having tested positive for the banned substance hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ).
An estimated 3,800 ng/mL of HCTZ was detected in a urine sample collected from Chepngetich four months ago, on 14 March. For context, the maximum allowable level of HCTZ, which is a diuretic, is 20 ng/mL.
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The AIU was informed of this result on 3 April, less than a fortnight before Cheptnetich was alerted on 16 April. Then, on 19 April, the Kenyan opted for a voluntary provisional suspension while the AIU investigated the matter.
Now, though, the AIU has issued a Notice of Charge and imposed its own provisional suspension on the athlete.
When Chepngetich achieved her marathon world record in Chicago last October, she sliced almost two minutes off the previous world record of 2:11:53, clocked by Ethiopia’s Tigist Assefa at the 2023 Berlin Marathon. Even more remarkably, she shaved well over four minutes off her own marathon PB of 2:14:18, which she achieved when she won the Chicago Marathon in 2022.
Chepnetich was due to toe the start line of the elite women’s race at the 2025 London Marathon, but withdrew from the contest on 18 April, just nine days before the event. At the time, she said that she was ‘not in the right place mentally or physically’ to compete. ‘I am very sad to miss the race and I hope to be back next year,’ she added.
Interestingly, she announced her withdrawal from this year’s London Marathon the day before she started her voluntary provisional suspension.
