Reigning marathon world champion Peres Jepchirchir has been suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) after testing positive for EPO.

The 33-year-old returned an adverse analytical finding for the performance-enhancing drug in an out-of-competition sample taken in Kenya before her victory at the Sydney Marathon this August.

The AIU announced it had provisionally suspended Jepchirchir in a statement released on Friday, just a day after Ethiopia’s former Tokyo Marathon winner Ruti Aga was given a six-year ban for a positive test for methylprednisolone and tampering with the investigation.

The timing of Jepchirchir’s positive test, before her victory in Sydney, means the result is at risk of being struck from her record.

The Kenyan’s case could follow the pattern set by her compatriot, 2019 marathon world champion Ruth Chepng’etich.…