Kenyan marathoner Careen Cheptoek has been handed a two-year ban by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) after testing positive for a banned substance.
The 31-year-old athlete tested positive for methylprednisolone after finishing in second place at the Taipei Marathon in December 2024.
The AIU reported that on January 27, 2025, a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)-accredited laboratory in Tokyo confirmed the presence of methylprednisolone in her sample.
In response, Cheptoek claimed that she had taken several medications which she suspected might have caused the positive test.
However, after reviewing the substances, the AIU found no trace of methylprednisolone in any of the medications she had mentioned.
On February 14, 2025, the athlete was informed that the medicine she had referred to did not contain the banned substance.
She was told that there was no evidence to suggest it was the cause of the positive result.
Later, on February 17, 2025, Cheptoek admitted the charge, explaining that she believed the banned substance might have been present in one of the supplement drinks shared among her training group during long runs. She stated that she would accept responsibility and await the AIU’s decision.
Cheptoek had clocked 2:32:53, securing second place at the Taipei Marathon, marking her third podium finish of the year. She had also finished second in both the KGL Millennium Marathon in Accra (September) and the Jakarta International Marathon (June).
Her list of achievements includes titles from the 2016 Kaohsiung 25km race and the 2023 Kaohsiung Fubon International Marathon.
Following the ban, the AIU has disqualified Cheptoek’s results from December 15, 2024, onwards, including any prize money, appearances, titles, and awards.
