Kenyan long-distance runner Purity Changwony has been banned from competition for two years and three months after admitting to violating anti-doping regulations. The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) announced the sanction on Tuesday, May 20, following the detection of prohibited substances in her system during the 2022 Volkswagen Prague Marathon.
Changwony, 34, tested positive for 19-Norandrosterone, an anabolic steroid, and Triamcinolone Acetonide, a corticosteroid banned during competition. The substances were found in a urine sample collected on May 8, 2022, during the marathon in Prague, Czech Republic.
The ban is retroactively effective from July 28, 2022, the date she was provisionally suspended. However, Changwony received a nine-month reduction in her sanction for cooperating with Kenyan authorities, including the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK), the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP).
On April 23, 2025, she signed an official admission of guilt and acceptance of the consequences. According to the AIU, her cooperation provided “substantial assistance” in the broader effort to combat doping in athletics.
This marks Changwony’s first anti-doping rule violation. As a result, all her competitive results from May 8, 2022, onward have been nullified, including any medals, titles, prize money, and other accolades.
Under World Athletics’ anti-doping rules, 19-Norandrosterone is categorized as a non-specified substance and is banned at all times. Triamcinolone Acetonide is classified as a specified substance, which is prohibited during competition.
Changwony is among a growing number of Kenyan athletes facing doping sanctions, highlighting ongoing concerns about drug use in the country’s elite running community.
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