Kenyan marathon champion Albert Korir suspended after positive drug test

Kenyan athlete Albert Korir has been provisionally suspended after testing positive for the use of a prohibited substance.

Korir’s suspension was announced by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU).

“The AIU has provisionally suspended Albert Korir (Kenya) for Presence/Use of a Prohibited Substance (CERA),” the unit said.

The suspension means Korir cannot compete in marathons until his case is heard and a final decision is made. 

CERA (Continuous Erythropoietin Receptor Activator) is a prohibited substance in sports, classified under the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List.

It is a third-generation form of the banned hormone erythropoietin (EPO), primarily used to boost athletic endurance. 

Anti-doping agencies classify CERA under peptide hormones and related substances and ban it at all times, both in and out of competition.

Officials warn that its ability to significantly boost endurance and aerobic performance makes it especially attractive in endurance sports.

“Substances like CERA artificially enhance oxygen delivery, undermining the principles of fair competition and posing serious risks to athlete health,” anti-doping authorities have consistently stated.

CERA gained global attention after advancements in anti-doping science enabled laboratories to detect it through sophisticated blood analysis techniques.

Its identification marked a turning point in the fight against blood doping, reinforcing the role of the athlete biological passport in uncovering prohibited practices.

Korir won the 2025 Ottawa International Marathon in May last year, recording a time of 2:08:22.

This marked his second victory in the marathon, having won the 2019 edition as well.

Six months later, Korir placed third at the 2025 New York City Marathon in 2:08:57.

The 31-year-old Kenyan is a five-time podium finisher in New York and a former champion, having won the race in 2021.

His personal best of 2:06:57 came with a third-place finish at the 2023 edition.

Korir is the latest big-name Kenyan athlete to be suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit, following the three-year ban of women’s marathon world record holder Ruth Chepngetich in October 2025.

Currently, Kenya is in Category A of the World Anti-Doping Agency WADA compliance watch list since 2016.

So far, nearly 130 Kenyan athletes have been sanctioned for drug offenses since 2017; this is according to the AIU’s Global List of Ineligible Persons.

Cases have involved marathon winners and Olympic medalists, raising questions around the country’s reputation as a hub of natural endurance and talent.

The controversies led to the creation of ADAK in 2016 following pressure from WADA and World Athletics, then known as the IAAF.

The initiative was meant to reinforce Kenya’s commitment to clean sport.

Nine years later, however, WADA’s audit indicated that ADAK still faces challenges related to capacity, resources, and independence.

The update from WADA came just a day after President William Ruto announced that he had directed the Ministry of Sports to reorganise ADAK in line with international best practices.

He underscored that there should be no compromise on integrity in sports. Ruto stressed that Kenya’s international sporting image must be safeguarded.

He said doping scandals had the potential to erode decades of achievement and called for stronger systems of oversight.