The unit says a sample taken before the Kenyan runner’s August Sydney Marathon victory returned an adverse EPO finding, prompting a provisional suspension while her case remains pending.
The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has provisionally suspended Kenya’s world marathon champion Peres Jepchirchir after an adverse finding for the banned blood booster EPO. The suspension bars her from competition while the case is pending; it is not a final ruling that she committed a doping violation.
The sample was collected before Jepchirchir’s Sydney Marathon victory in August 2026. She won that race in 2 hours 18 minutes 31 seconds, more than three minutes ahead of the runner-up. Jepchirchir also won Olympic marathon gold at the Tokyo Games in 2021.
The AIU said the sample was collected in Kenya outside competition and returned an adverse analytical finding—a laboratory result indicating a prohibited substance. EPO, short for erythropoietin, boosts the production of red blood cells.
Jepchirchir’s agent, Gianni Demadonna, said he felt terrible about what had happened and believed an athlete who uses performance-enhancing drugs should be disqualified.
Sydney Marathon organisers said they were “extremely disappointed” by the provisional suspension but stressed that Jepchirchir was entitled to due process. The case still awaits a final outcome, and the organisers said they would make no further comment until that process concludes.
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