‘I don’t remember how I doped’, says Faith Chepchirchir

Chepchirchir, 23 , tested positive for Norandrosterone, an anabolic steroid, during in-competition tests conducted at the CZ Tilburg Ten Miles in the Netherlands on September 29, 2024 and the Lisbon Half Marathon on October 6, 2024.

In her written statement to the AIU on January 8, 2025, Kiprotich said: “I accept that the prohibited substance was found in my samples, but I cannot remember how the substance entered my body.”

This admission came after the AIU confirmed the presence of Norandrosterone at levels exceeding permissible thresholds in two separate samples analyzed by WADA-accredited laboratories.

Chepchirchir’s results from September 29, 2024, onward have been nullified, effectively stripping her of titles, awards, and prize money earned during that period.

The AIU stated: “The Athlete shall therefore receive a one (1)-year reduction in the asserted period of Ineligibility pursuant to Rule 10.8.1 based on an early admission and acceptance of sanction”.

Another key point made by the AIU was the athlete’s responsibility in such cases: “The Athlete did not have a Therapeutic Use Exemption (‘TUE’) that had been granted (or that would be granted) for the Norandrosterone found in the Samples,” underscoring the lack of justification for the banned substance.

The AIU reiterated that athletes are solely responsible for any prohibited substances found in their systems and stressed the importance of upholding clean sport principles.

The ban marks a significant setback in her career, with a return to competitive athletics only possible after December 2027.

Norandrosterone is a substance that the body produces naturally in very small amounts.

However, it can also appear in an athlete's body when they take performance-enhancing drugs, like nandrolone, which is a banned steroid.

Athletes might use nandrolone to build muscle faster, recover quicker from training, or improve strength and endurance. When the body breaks down nandrolone, one of the byproducts is norandrosterone.

So, when anti-doping tests find a higher-than-normal level of norandrosterone in an athlete’s urine, it’s a red flag that they may have taken a banned steroid.

She won the Lisbon Half Marathon last October, her second win of the season, after claiming the women’s 10 miles at the Tilburg Ten Miles in the Netherlands a month earlier.

Kiprotich becomes the first Kenyan athlete to be handed a doping ban this year.