Kenyan marathoner Philemon Kiplimo Kimaiyo has been banned for two years by the Athletics Integrity Unit after testing positive for chlortalidone, a prohibited substance classified as a diuretic and masking agent.
The AIU decision dated September 17, 2026, says Kiplimo provided an out-of-competition urine sample in Mwaita, Kenya, on July 19, 2026, during testing conducted under the authority of World Athletics and the AIU.
The sample initially had a specific gravity below the level required for analysis, prompting Kiplimo to provide additional samples.
"The Sample had a Specific Gravity ("SG") of 1.002, below the Suitable Specific Gravity for Analysis specified in the WADA International Standard for Testing and Investigations ("ISTI") of 1.003," said AIU.
His fifth sample met the required standard and was subsequently analysed by a World Anti-Doping Agency-accredited laboratory in Paris.
On July 29, 2026, the laboratory reported an adverse analytical finding after detecting chlortalidone in the sample.
Chlortalidone is listed under the 2026 World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List as a specified substance prohibited at all times under the category of diuretics and masking agents.
The AIU said Kiplimo did not have a Therapeutic Use Exemption for the substance and found no departure from the applicable testing or laboratory standards that could have caused the adverse finding.
During an interview with the AIU on August 25, Kiplimo said he did not know what chlortalidone was.
He explained that about a week before the test, he had taken painkillers belonging to his wife to treat pain he experienced after long runs. He said he could not recall the name or appearance of the medication.
Kiplimo also told the AIU that he had not taken any other medication that week apart from vitamins and dietary supplements, which he could not identify.
On September 2, he provided photographs of the medication, including a box labelled “OLMECURE-CT 40 - Olmesartan Medoxomil with Chlortalidone Tablets.”
On September 1, Kiplimo signed an admission and acceptance form confirming that he admitted the anti-doping rule violations and accepted the proposed consequences.
The AIU said this was Kiplimo’s first anti-doping rule violation and that it had no evidence that the violations were intentional.
As a result, the AIU imposed a two-year period of ineligibility starting September 1, 2026.
The decision also disqualifies Kiplimo’s results from July 19, 2026, including the forfeiture of any titles, awards, medals, points, prizes and appearance money earned from that date.
Kiplimo, 27, is a Kenyan road runner with a personal best of 2:04:01 in the marathon. He finished eighth at the 2025 Chicago Marathon and won the Bogota Half Marathon.
The AIU said Kiplimo accepted the sanctions and waived his right to have the consequences determined through a disciplinary hearing.
The decision can be appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport by the World Anti-Doping Agency or the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya.