World champion Jepchirchir fails drugs test

What the report says

Peres Jepchirchir, the Kenyan marathon runner who is the reigning world women’s marathon champion, has been provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit after an out-of-competition sample tested positive for EPO, according to BBC Sport. The sample was taken before her victory at the Sydney Marathon, and the reported result led to the temporary suspension while the case moves through the anti-doping process.

BBC reported that Jepchirchir won the Sydney race on 30 August 2026 in 2:18:31, finishing well clear of compatriot Irene Chepet Cheptai. The article notes that the event had become a World Marathon Major in 2025. It also explains that EPO is a substance linked to increased red blood cell production and, if injected, can be difficult to detect for long periods because it is only visible in bodily samples for a limited time.

Jepchirchir is one of the most decorated women’s marathon runners of her generation, with Olympic gold in Tokyo in 2020 and a world title in 2025, along with major marathon wins in New York, Boston and London. The BBC’s report places the case in the broader context of elite endurance sport, where anti-doping enforcement is closely scrutinized because performance-enhancing drugs can affect oxygen delivery and recovery. The Athletics Integrity Unit did not appear in the article to have announced a final sanction, so the suspension should be understood as provisional pending further proceedings.