Philemon Kimaiyo gets two-year ban after taking wife's medication

Kenyan marathoner Philemon Kiplimo Kimaiyo has been banned for two years after he admitted an anti-doping violation. [Courtesy]

Kenyan marathoner Philemon Kiplimo Kimaiyo has been banned for two years after he admitted an anti-doping violation involving a prohibited substance found in medication he said belonged to his wife.

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) imposed the ban after a urine sample collected during an out-of-competition test in Mwaita, Kenya, on July 19, 2026, tested positive for chlorthalidone, a prohibited diuretic and masking agent.

Kimaiyo’s suspension started on September 1, 2026, and will run until August 31, 2028.

The AIU said Kimaiyo told investigators that he had taken painkillers belonging to his wife about a week before the test to treat pain and soreness after long runs.

“The athlete stated that he did not know what Chlortalidone was, and explained that, approximately a week before the test, he had taken painkillers that belonged to his wife to treat pain that he experienced after long runs,” the AIU said in its decision dated September 17.

Kimaiyo later provided photographs of the medication packaging to investigators. One box was labelled “OLMECURE-CT 40”, a medicine containing olmesartan medoxomil and chlorthalidone.

The AIU said chlorthalidone is prohibited at all times under the 2026 World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List and that Kimaiyo did not have a Therapeutic Use Exemption for the substance.

The 27-year-old athlete told AIU officials during an interview on August 25 that he could not remember the name or appearance of the medication. He also said he had not taken other medication during the period apart from vitamins and dietary supplements whose identities he could not establish.

However, the AIU said it found no evidence that the violation was intentional.

“The AIU has no evidence that the Anti-Doping Rule Violations were  intentional and the mandatory period of Ineligibility to be imposed is therefore a period of two (2) years starting on 1 September 2026,” the authority said.

Kimaiyo’s results from July 19 onward have also been disqualified. He will forfeit titles, awards, medals, points, prizes and appearance money linked to those results.

The ruling affects his 2026 season, including his third-place finish at the Bogotá Half Marathon on July 26, where he ran 1:03:53.

The AIU said the initial urine sample provided by Kimaiyo had a specific gravity below the level required for analysis. He provided three more samples that also fell below the required threshold before a fifth sample met the required standard.

A laboratory in Paris then reported the adverse analytical finding after analysing the relevant sample. The AIU said analysis of another subsequent sample did not detect a prohibited substance.

Kimaiyo admitted the violations on September 1 and accepted the consequences proposed by the AIU. The decision states that it was his first anti-doping rule violation.

“The athlete has accepted the above consequences for his Anti-Doping Rule Violations and has expressly waived his right to have those consequences determined by the Disciplinary Tribunal at a hearing,” the AIU said.

Kimaiyo has a marathon personal best of 2:04:01, recorded in April 2025, according to World Athletics. He also holds a half-marathon best of 58:11 and finished eighth at the 2025 Chicago Marathon in 2:06:14.

The AIU decision is final at its level, although the World Anti-Doping Agency and Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya can appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne.