The Athletics Integrity Unit announced Friday that Peres Jepchirchir, Kenya's 33-year-old reigning women's marathon world champion and Tokyo 2021 Olympic gold medalist, has been provisionally suspended after an out-of-competition sample collected in Kenya returned an adverse analytical finding for EPO, the banned blood booster that stimulates red blood cell production.

The AIU disclosed the finding in a statement posted on X, and a provisional suspension bars her from competing until the case is resolved with a verdict or dropped.

Jepchirchir is one of the most decorated marathoners of the decade, which makes the finding extraordinary: gold at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, the world marathon title in Tokyo last September, wins at New York (2021), Boston (2022), London (2024) and Sydney (2026), plus a half-marathon world record she set in 2017 while in the early stages of pregnancy.

Her long-time agent Gianni Demadonna told The Guardian he was 'completely wrong' to trust her across 13 years, saying she 'spoiled her long and amazing career and she closes her career in the worst way.'

The agent's shock statement to multiple outlets underlines how few saw this coming from an athlete of her stature.

Because the positive sample was collected before her Sydney victory, the result itself is now at risk of being struck from her record, a pattern that mirrors her compatriot Ruth Chepngetich, whose results from her 2025 positive test date were forfeited even though earlier achievements stood.

nine.com.au reports Jepchirchir earned US$100,000 (AUD $142,000) as first woman home in Sydney, and the organizers expressed they were 'extremely disappointed,' stressing she is entitled to due process and that their 'commitment to clean sport is unwavering.'

Under Abbott World Marathon Majors rules, a doping ban of three months or more means a lifetime ban from all eight majors, per nine.com.au, which also notes a second Sydney champion suspended in three years after 2024 men's winner Brimin Kipkorir.

The case lands as Kenya faces intense scrutiny over doping in its world-leading distance running corps.

According to The Guardian, more than 140 Kenyan athletes have been suspended or banned by the AIU since 2017, and Canadian Running Magazine reports the country ranks second worldwide in total positive doping cases behind India.

Women's marathon world record holder Ruth Chepngetich was banned for three years in 2025 after hydrochlorothiazide, while former New York winner Albert Korir received a five-year ban in March.

The announcement came a day after the AIU issued a six-year ban to Ethiopia's Ruti Aga, who tested positive and submitted a fake prescription from a clinic that turned out not to exist.

WADA president Witold Banka, on a visit to Kenya this month, said the country needs a 'more determined approach' to retain its credibility, declaring that 'Kenya proudly calls itself the home of champions. But for that home to remain respected and credible, it must also be clean.'

Athletics Kenya's Barnabas Korir told AFP the news of Jepchirchir's suspension left the federation 'in shock,' especially given her calibre, and the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya has said it aims to reach 5,000 tests by the end of 2026, according to Canadian Running Magazine.

A provisional suspension is not a finding of guilt: Canadian Running Magazine explains Jepchirchir can respond to the allegations and challenge the adverse finding through the disciplinary process, or admit the violation, which could reduce an automatic four-year ban by one year as Chepngetich's early acceptance did.

If sanctioned, she could also forfeit her Sydney prize money.

Organizations are already responding: The Boston Globe reports the Boston Athletic Association said the suspension 'does not affect previous Boston Marathons' — though Kenyan women Rita Jeptoo (2014) and Diana Kipyokei (2021) previously had Boston titles disqualified — and Sydney organizers pledged to keep standing with athletes who compete cleanly.