Jepchirchir provisionally suspended after EPO finding in sample taken before Sydney victory

Peres Jepchirchir, the Olympic and world marathon champion, has been provisionally suspended after an out-of-competition sample tested positive for the banned substance EPO, according to the Athletics Integrity Unit as reported by Sky News, The Guardian and BBC News. The sample was collected in Kenya before Jepchirchir won the Sydney Marathon on Aug. 30, BBC News reported.

She finished the race in 2 hours, 18 minutes and 31 seconds, winning by more than three minutes. The provisional suspension means the case remains under investigation; the reports do not describe a final ruling. EPO, or erythropoietin, is a naturally occurring substance that stimulates the production of red blood cells.

BBC News reported that injected EPO can increase the number of oxygen-carrying red blood cells in the bloodstream and is detectable only for a limited period in urine or blood. Jepchirchir, 33, won Olympic gold at the Tokyo Games in 2021 and the World Championships in September 2025, according to the BBC. Her other major marathon victories listed in the reports came in New York in 2021, Boston in 2022, London in 2024 and Sydney in 2026.

She also set the women’s half-marathon world record in 2017 and three times in 2020. The announcement drew shock from Kenyan athletics officials. Barnabas Korir, Athletics Kenya’s youth development director and vice-president of the national Olympic committee, told AFP, as quoted by The Guardian, that the news was a major disappointment, particularly after Nairobi was awarded the 2029 World Athletics Championships.

Jepchirchir’s manager, Gianni Demadona, said he was shocked after learning of the positive test from the AIU and said the athlete had damaged her reputation. The reports do not include a response from Jepchirchir herself or indicate whether she has challenged the finding. The case comes as Kenya faces continuing anti-doping scrutiny.

The Guardian reported that more than 140 Kenyan athletes, including women’s marathon world-record holder Ruth Chepngetich, have been suspended or banned by the AIU since 2017. The World Anti-Doping Agency visited Kenya this month, and its president, Witold Banka, called for zero tolerance and stronger cooperation against doping. The supplied reports do not say what sanction, if any, Jepchirchir could ultimately face.