The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) announced on 23 October 2026 that it had provisionally suspended Peres Jepchirchir, Kenya's reigning women's marathon world champion and a former Olympic champion, VnExpress and Tuổi Trẻ reported. An out-of-competition sample collected from the 33-year-old in Kenya tested positive for erythropoietin (EPO). The suspension is an interim step while the case is investigated, not a final finding that she broke anti-doping rules.
Sample taken before her Sydney win
Runner's World and Marathon Journal reported, as cited by VnExpress, that the sample was collected before Jepchirchir won the Sydney Marathon on 30 August 2026; Tuổi Trẻ attributed the same detail to the AIU. Both outlets said the AIU has not disclosed the exact collection date, and VnExpress added that the length of the suspension has not been announced either.
Jepchirchir won in Sydney in 2:18:31. VnExpress put her margin over compatriot Irine Cheptai at more than three minutes, while Tuổi Trẻ gave it as 3 minutes 40 seconds. Tuổi Trẻ said the race was her fourth World Marathon Majors title. The Sydney Marathon organisers said they were disappointed but would respect the athlete's right to explain herself before any final ruling, according to VnExpress. As of the evening of 23 October 2026 she had not been stripped of the Sydney title and had not given an official explanation, Tuổi Trẻ said.
EPO is a hormone that stimulates the production of red blood cells and so increases the amount of oxygen delivered to the muscles. That is why illicit use of the synthetic form can give a big edge in endurance sports such as marathon running and cycling. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) bans it both in and out of competition.
A record at the top of the sport
Born in 1993, Jepchirchir has one of the strongest records in women's distance running over the past decade, Tuổi Trẻ noted. Her main titles, compiled by KBVN+ from VnExpress and Tuổi Trẻ:
| Year | Achievement |
|---|---|
| 2016, 2020, 2023 | World half marathon champion |
| 2021 | Olympic marathon gold at Tokyo 2020 (held in 2021); New York Marathon winner |
| 2022 | Boston Marathon winner |
| 2024 | London Marathon winner in 2:16:16, a world record for a women-only race |
| 2025 | World champion in Tokyo on 14 September 2025 in 2:24:43, two seconds ahead of Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa |
| 2026 | Sydney Marathon winner in 2:18:31 |
Assefa broke the London record in 2025. Tuổi Trẻ added that Jepchirchir also once held the world record over the half marathon distance.
Another blow for Kenyan athletics
More than 140 Kenyan athletes have been suspended or banned for doping since 2017, according to VnExpress and Tuổi Trẻ, which cited AFP. In 2025 Ruth Chepngetich, the women's marathon world record holder, received a three-year ban for an anti-doping violation involving the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide. Tuổi Trẻ reported that former New York Marathon champion Albert Korir was banned for five years in March 2026, and that WADA president Witold Banka recently urged Kenya to be more decisive in its fight against doping.
The case comes shortly after Kenya was awarded the 2029 World Athletics Championships in Nairobi, the first time the event has gone to Africa, both outlets noted.
What happens next
Tuổi Trẻ explained that a provisional suspension keeps an athlete out of competition while the case is dealt with and is not a formal sanction. Jepchirchir can ask for her B sample to be analysed and can give an explanation for the result. If a violation is confirmed, she could face a four-year ban and the annulment of results from the period of the violation.
VnExpress pointed to World Marathon Majors rules: if she is found to have committed a violation and is banned for three months or more, she will face a lifetime ban from the series' eight races. Her agent, Gianni Demadonna, told Reuters he was saddened by the case and that athletes who use banned performance-enhancing substances should be excluded from competition, VnExpress and Tuổi Trẻ reported. VnExpress also noted that former US runner Kara Goucher expressed regret for rivals who may have missed out on a place on the podium.