The AIU did not reveal the specifics of Kipyokei’s obstruction but said Kipyokei’s postrace test revealed the presence of a metabolite of triamcinolone acetonide, a glucocorticoid that is banned for in-competition use when administered through prohibited routes. Athletes must receive a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) for glucocorticoids — steroids that can enhance athletic performance when administered a certain way — during competition periods or prove that they were administered via an allowed route.
At the time of Kipyokei’s positive test, glucocorticoids could only be administered via injection, though that rule has since changed to also allow for administration via other means.
The AIU noted in Friday’s announcement that 10 Kenyan athletes tested positive for triamcinolone acetonide between 2021 and 2022 and that only two athletes from other countries tested positive for the substance over the same time period. On Thursday, the AIU announced it had banned Kenyan marathoner and endurance racer Mark Kangogo for three years over similar doping claims. It also announced Friday that Kenyan marathoner Betty Wilson Lempus had been suspended along with Kipyokei.
As of now, the 28-year-old Kipyokei is only provisionally suspended and still is considered the 2021 Boston Marathon winner, but if the AIU’s Disciplinary Tribunal finds that she committed the violations, she would be stripped of her title and face a suspension of four years.
The 2021 Boston Marathon was Kipyokei’s first major marathon and just her third overall, and she won the women’s event in 2 hours 24 minutes 45 seconds.