43-year-old runner recognized Boston Marathon women's champion

At Boston Marathon 2021, Kipyokei finished first in 2 hours 24 minutes 45 seconds, 24 seconds faster than Kiplagat who finished second. But the Boston Athletics Association (BAA) recently promoted Kiplagat as champion, after the Athletics Integrity Authority (AIU) issued a six-year ban on Kipyokei.

Kipyokei was stripped of his championship title and $150,000 prize money for testing positive for triamcinolone acetonide, a corticosteroid. This is an active ingredient that helps to lose weight, while increasing strength, endurance, and is prohibited in sports competition. The substance has also been detected in some other Kenyan runners.

The punishment for Kipyokei also came from her intentionally providing incorrect information and documents to AIU. The Kenyan runner said that a doctor injected cortisone into the Achilles tendon in September 2021. When asked to provide evidence, she paid Dr. David Njenga about $162 to forge documents. These documents were later found to be forged.

The conviction of both charges resulted in Kipyokei being suspended for 6 years, from June 27, 2022. This punishment could end Kipyokei's career early, because she is 28 years old.

In response to Runner's World, Gianna Demadonna - manager of Kipyokei - said, as a rule, athletes must notify the management of all drugs they use. However, Kipyokei did not do this.

Because of her compatriot's doping scandal, Kiplagat won the Boston Marathon for the second time, after the first time in 2017. She finished second in 2019, after Ethiopian Worknesh Degefa. At the age of 43, Kiplagat became the oldest athlete to win the Boston Marathon.

Kiplagat, nicknamed the "Queen of Endurance", is considered one of the greatest long-distance runners of all time. She twice won a gold medal at the world championships in 2011, 2013, and a silver medal in 2017.

Kiplagat competed in all six World Marathon Majors, winning three of them. In addition to two times in Boston, she also won the New York City Marathon 2010, London Marathon (2014) alongside many other times standing in the top 3. Berlin Marathon is the only major tournament Kiplagat has never entered the top 3, when only standing high. in fourth place in 2018.

Kiplagat won the World Marathon Series VIII (2013-2014) and was named the Series V champion (2010-2011) after Russian athlete Liliya Shobukhova was disqualified. In 2021, she broke the Falmouth Road Race record when she completed 11.3 km in 36 minutes and 52 seconds.