Albert Korir, the Kenyan runner who won the 2021 New York City Marathon, has been banned from competition for five years after admitting to doping, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) announced Monday.
Korir, 32, tested positive for CERA — Continuous Erythropoietin Receptor Activator — across three separate out-of-competition tests taken in Kenya in October 2025. CERA is a long-acting synthetic agent that stimulates red blood cell production, improving oxygen delivery to muscles. It is a more potent, longer-lasting variant of EPO and is prohibited under World Anti-Doping Agency rules.
The AIU described the three positive results as “clear evidence of the athlete’s use of a prohibited substance on multiple occasions.”
Korir’s ban runs from January 8, 2026 — the date he was provisionally suspended — until January 7, 2031. His original sanction would have been six years, but it was reduced by one year because he admitted to the violations without requesting a hearing.
All of his results from October 2025 onward have been disqualified, including his third-place finish at the New York City Marathon on November 2, 2025. He will keep his 2021 New York title, which falls outside the disqualification window.
A Career Now Tainted
Korir’s record in New York spanned more than half a decade. He was runner-up in 2019, won in 2021 with a time of 2:08:22, finished second again in 2023 while running a personal best of 2:06:57, and placed third in both 2024 and 2025. He also won the Ottawa Marathon in 2019 and 2025, and took the Houston Marathon in 2019.
Kenya’s Doping Problem Refuses To Go Away
The case is the latest in a series of high-profile doping sanctions against Kenyan distance runners. In October 2025, women’s marathon world record-holder Ruth Chepngetich received a three-year ban after admitting to using Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ), a diuretic that can mask the presence of other banned substances. In June 2024, Kenya issued its first lifetime ban — to marathon runner Beatrice Toroitich — alongside a six-year suspension for 10km world record-holder Rhonex Kipruto.
More than 140 Kenyan runners have been sanctioned for doping offenses since the country was declared non-compliant by WADA following a string of violations around the 2016 Rio Olympics. WADA said in October 2025 that Kenya had made “significant” progress but noted the country remains on probation.
The scale of the problem is hard to ignore. Doping in endurance running has been a persistent issue, and Kenya has repeatedly been at the center of it. A commentary following Ruth Chepngetich’s suspension argued the sanctions expose a broader structural problem in how the sport governs itself. With dozens more athletes flagged for whereabouts violations, the issue shows no sign of abating.
Korir will be 37 when his ban expires in January 2031.
It hard to trust any of these winners and record breakers anymore. Sad for our sport and the world.