The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has suspended Careen Cheptoek from participating in any athletics competitions for two years over allegations of doping.
In a statement on Monday, February 24, the AIU disclosed that the 31-year-old was suspended after testing positive for a prohibited substance, Methylprednisolone.
Methylprednisolone is a steroid used to treat asthma, allergic reactions, arthritis, inflammatory bowel diseases, and adrenal, blood, or bone marrow conditions.
According to the AIU, investigations against the athlete began on December 15, 2024, when she provided a urine sample moments before participating in the Taipei City Marathon, a World Athletics Gold Label Road Race in Taiwan.
A month later, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which is an accredited laboratory in Tokyo, Japan, reported an adverse analytical finding in the athlete’s urine sample after it found the presence of Methylprednisolone.
It is worth noting that Methylprednisolone is a prohibited substance under the WADA 2024 Prohibited List. It is also a specified substance, prohibited in competition when administered via any injectable, oral, or rectal route.
During the probe, the AIU reviewed the adverse analytical finding by WADA as per Article 5 of the International Standard for Results Management (ISRM) and determined that Cheptoek had indeed violated its regulations.
Following the findings, the AIU requested that the athlete explain the adverse analytical finding by a date not later than February 20, 2025.
On February 13, Cheptoek sent an email to the AIU and admitted that she had been taking medication which she believed could have caused the adverse findings.
However, following a review of the information provided by the athlete, the AIU informed Cheptoek that the medication she referred to in her email was not the drug she tested positive for.
A week before her ban, the athlete wrote to the AIU stating that she had tried to think of what she could have taken to explain the situation but could not find the right reason. Subsequently, she was suspended.
“The AIU has no evidence that the Anti-Doping Rule Violations were intentional, and the period of ineligibility to be imposed is therefore two years,” the AIU noted in its report.
“A disqualification of the athlete’s results on and since December 15, 2024, with all resulting consequences, including the forfeiture of any titles, awards, medals, points, prizes, and appearance money.”
