Kenyan Caren Chelagat, a 31-year-old distance runner, has been banned by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) for doping.
On May 3, 2026, Chelagat provided a urine sample in competition at the Durban International Marathon in Durban, South Africa.
On July 7, 2026, the WADA-accredited laboratory in Doha, Qatar, reported an adverse analytical finding in the sample based on the presence of exogenous 19-Norandrosterone (“Norandrosterone”).
Chelagat said several times over the summer that she never doped; however, she was given several deadline extensions to come back with a reason why she tested positive. This included an alleged medical treatment days before the Durban race. She refused to admit to the doping. If she did, she would have received a one-year reduction. Therefore, starting July 17, 2026, her four-year ban began. Disqualification of her results go back to May 3, 2026.
She ran her marathon personal best on May 3, finishing in 2:40:40.
Norandrosterone is a primary urinary metabolite of the anabolic steroid nandrolone (19-nortestosterone). Because norandrosterone is the specific marker tested for in anti-doping screens to prove nandrolone use, cases involving nandrolone and norandrosterone largely overlap.
