MONACO (AP) — Women’s marathon world record-holder Ruth Chepng'etich has been banned for three years after admitting a doping violation, track and field’s Athletics Integrity Unit said Thursday.
The AIU said Chepng'etich admitted anti-doping rule violations over the presence and use of the banned diuretic hydrochlorothiazide, or HCTZ, which can be used to disguise the use of performance-enhancing drugs. She had been suspended in July.
The AIU also said Chepng’etich had accepted the charges and sanction following a positive test for the banned diuretic from a March 14 sample.
The 31-year-old Kenyan runner broke the world record by almost two minutes at the Chicago Marathon last year, clocking 2 hours, 9 minutes, 56 seconds.
All Chepng'etich’s achievements and records before the March 14 sample will still stand.
The AIU said that while diuretics are known to be abused by athletes to mask the presence in urine of other prohibited substances, HCTZ has also been identified as a potential contaminant in pharmaceutical products.
Chepng’etich could not provide an explanation for the positive test when she was first interviewed in April. At a later interview on July 11, she was confronted with evidence acquired from her mobile telephone indicating “a reasonable suspicion that her positive test may have been intentional,” the AIU said.
At the time, Chepng'etich maintained her position that she could not explain the positive test and that she had never doped.
The AIU said that, on July 31, Chepng’etich changed her previous explanation.
“She wrote to the AIU to state that she now recalled that she had taken ill two days before the positive test and she had taken her housemaid’s medication as treatment, without taking any steps to verify if it contained a prohibited substance,” the AIU said.
“She stated that she had forgotten to disclose this incident to the AIU investigators. She sent a photo of the medication blister pack which clearly marked the medication as being ‘hydrochlorothiazide.’”
The AIU said anti-doping rules treat such “recklessness described by Chepng’etich in taking her housemaid’s medication as being indirect intent, for which an increased four-year sanction applies.”
Since Chepng’etich eventually accepted the proposed sanction within 20 days, she was granted an automatic one-year reduction of the four years.
“The case regarding the positive test for HCTZ has been resolved, but the AIU will continue to investigate the suspicious material recovered from Chepng’etich’s phone to determine if any other violations have occurred," AIU head Brett Clothier said in a statement.
AIU Chair David Howman said the case underlines that “nobody is above the rules” and lauded the industry’s commitment to the integrity of the sport.
Chepng’etich also won the marathon at the 2019 world championships in Qatar, where the women’s race started at midnight to avoid extreme daytime heat.
AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports
FILE - Kenya's Ruth Chepngetich poses with her gold medal during the medal ceremony for the women's marathon at the World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar, Sept. 28, 2019. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty, file)
In a box office battle of the sequels, “The Devil Wears Prada 2” had the slight edge over “Mortal Kombat II” in North American theaters this weekend. According to studio estimates Sunday, “The Devil Wears Prada 2” earned a chart topping $43 million in its second weekend, while “Mortal Kombat II” took in $40 million in its first.
This weekend had wide variety of newcomers playing in wide release, including the family-friendly whodunnit “The Sheep Detectives” and a James Cameron co-directed Billie Eilish concert film.
But it was the holdover that triumphed. “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” which has grossed $433.2 million worldwide in its first 12 days in release, helped push The Walt Disney Studios over $2 billion globally for the year. It’s also surpassed the total grosses of the first film, which earned $327 million globally in 2006, not accounting for inflation.
“Mortal Kombat II” provided some gendered counterprogramming in the second weekend of Hollywood's summer movie season. Warner Bros. opened the movie in 3,503 locations where it drew a heavily male audience. According to PostTrak, 75% of the ticket buyers were men. “The Devil Wears Prada 2” had almost the exact opposite gender breakdown on its first weekend.
The first movie in this series, “Mortal Kombat,” was released simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max in April 2021 as a part of Warner Bros.’ pandemic-era day-and-date strategy. Reviews have been mixed for the sequel, as was its B CinemaScore. It also earned $23 million from 78 markets internationally, adding up to a $63 million global debut.
“Michael” landed in third place in its third weekend with another $36.5 million over the weekend, down only 33% from last weekend. The Michael Jackson biopic has now earned $240.5 million in North America, surpassing the total domestic grosses of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and $577.4 million globally.
Fourth place went to Amazon MGM Studios' “The Sheep Detectives” which brought in $15.9 million in its first weekend in 3,457 theaters. The quirky, all-ages murder mystery features a starry ensemble including Hugh Jackman, Emma Thompson and Nicholas Braun, as well as the voices of Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, Regina Hall and Patrick Stewart as the sheep who try to figure out who murdered their shepherd. Audiences gave it an A- CinemaScore. The movie cost a reported $75 million to produce.
Rounding out the top five was “Billie Eilish—Hit Me Hard & Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D)” an immersive concert experience which Cameron shared co-directing credits on with Eilish. Paramount released the movie in 2,613 theaters, where it earned $7.5 million in North America and $12.6 million internationally. The movie was very well reviewed by critics (93% on Rotten Tomatoes) and audiences, who gave it an A CinemaScore.
James Cameron, left, and Billie Eilish pose for photographers upon arrival a the screening of the film 'Hit me Hard and Soft: The Tour' on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in London. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)
Martyn Ford, from left, Tati Gabrielle, Adeline Rudolph, Lewis Tan and Mehcad Brooks pose for photographers upon arrival at the European Fan Event of the film 'Mortal Kombat II' on Thursday, April 30, 2026, in London. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)
