Kenyan middle-distance runner Esther Gitahi has been handed a four-year ban, just days after marathon world record holder Ruth Chepn’getich was struck with a similar sanction. The ban was confirmed by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) on the evening of Monday, October 27 and will take effect retroactively from August 6, 2024.
According to the AIU, the ban was issued following a ruling by the Disciplinary and Appeals Tribunal, which found Gitahi guilty of the presence and use of Erythropoietin (EPO), both of which are prohibited under AIU rules. Gitahi, 26, provided a urine sample during the B.A.A. 5K event in Boston, USA, on April 13, 2024. The sample tested positive for EPO, a banned substance listed in the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) 2024 Prohibited List.
EPO is a hormone that naturally stimulates the production of red blood cells, enhancing oxygen transport and boosting endurance. While the synthetic form is medically administered to treat conditions such as anaemia, it has been widely misused by athletes seeking performance enhancement.
Following the notification of an Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF) on August 6, 2024, Gitahi was provisionally suspended. She waived her right to have her B-sample tested, which resulted in the initial result being upheld as a confirmed doping violation. The AIU subsequently issued formal charges, which Gitahi accepted, though she denied knowingly using a performance-enhancing drug.
Gitahi claimed that the injections she administered were prescribed for suspected thalassemia, a blood disorder she believed she might have after experiencing fatigue and joint pain in 2022. She reportedly took eight injections over a 10-month period, with the positive doping result occurring after her second round of treatment in early 2024.
However, the tribunal dismissed her explanation as “somewhat bizarre” and found her account not credible, concluding that her use of EPO was intentional. In line with anti-doping rules, the standard penalty for the intentional use of a prohibited substance is a four-year period of ineligibility, which has now been imposed on Gitahi.
