- Eliud Kipchoge was put on the spot to respond to Ruth Chepng’etich’s doping suspension ahead of his New York Marathon debut
- Chepng’etich shocked the world in July after she was suspended months after breaking the women’s marathon world record
- Chepng’etich tested positive for masking agents, but her world record set in Chicago was already ratified by then
Eliud Kipchoge has blasted Ruth Chepng’etich after she was put on provisional suspension over doping allegations.
Source: Getty Images
Chepng’etich was suspended in July this year, just a few months after her world record in the women’s marathon had been ratified.
Why was Ruth Chepng’etich suspended?
She set the world record at the Chicago Marathon last year, where she became the first woman to dip below 2 hours, 10 minutes. She shaved off almost two minutes from the previous record held by Ethiopian, Tigst Assefa.
After the Chicago Marathon in October, the 2019 world champion ran two more races, one in Madrid and the other in Portugal.
After the one in Portugal, she tested positive for Hydrochlorothiazide. Also known as HCTZ, it is a class S5 Prohibited Substance under diuretics and masking agents, which can be used to hide the presence of other substances in urine.
The allowed limit is 20 ng/mL, but Chepng’etich’s sample showed 3800 ng/mL, which was 190 times more. She took a provisional suspension pending the conclusion of the case.
Source: Getty Images
Eliud Kipchoge’s message to Ruth Chepng’etich
Kipchoge, who has been one of the biggest advocates for clean sport, was questioned about his compatriot which he responded,
“It’s a shame, actually, for people to break the rules in sport,” he told Reuters.
Kipchoge was interviewed ahead of his debut at the New York Marathon on November 2. The marathon in the Big Apple is the only one he has yet to compete in.
“My legacy will be complete because I will have a sixth star. I’ve been training for major marathons for a very long time, and I have never completed all of them. If I don’t complete, I feel like I am halfway — I am not a rounded person,” he said.
Eliud Kipchoge’s 2025 season
The New York marathon will be Kipchoge’s third race of the year. He finished sixth at the London Marathon, won by Sebastian Sawe, before taking 10th place in Sydney.
“I am looking forward to experiencing it all, to hearing the crowds, to meeting the people there, and leaving a long-lasting footprint in the running community.”
Why Ruth Chepng’etich’s record is still safe despite suspension
In a related report, we explained why Ruth Chepng’etich’s record is still safe despite the doping suspension.
Chepng’etich was charged after a race in Portugal for the presence of masking agents in her urine sample.
Her world record will, however, remain unscathed as World Athletics had already ratified it after the usual thorough process such records are subjected to.
Proofreading by Jackson Otukho, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
