NAIROBI, Kenya – Kenyan marathoner and former New York City Marathon champion Albert Korir has been provisionally suspended after testing positive for a prohibited substance, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) announced on Monday.
The AIU said Korir returned an adverse analytical finding for Continuous Erythropoietin Receptor Activator (CERA), a banned performance-enhancing drug listed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) under peptide hormones, growth factors and related substances.
CERA, a third-generation form of erythropoietin originally developed to treat chronic kidney disease, boosts red blood cell production and enhances oxygen delivery to muscles — giving endurance athletes an unfair advantage. Its use is strictly prohibited in competitive sport.
Korir, a five-time New York City Marathon podium finisher, enjoyed one of the most consistent marathon careers among Kenyan runners over the past decade.
He famously won the 2021 New York City Marathon, returning from a pandemic-forced hiatus to beat a strong field that included half-marathon world record holder Kibiwott Kandie.
His career highlights include marathon victories in Vienna (2017), Houston (2019) and Ottawa (2019), as well as runner-up finishes in New York in 2019 and 2023.
Korir’s personal best stands at 2:06:57, recorded at the 2023 New York City Marathon.
In recent seasons, the Kenyan runner remained competitive on the global stage, placing fifth at the 2024 Boston Marathon in 2:07:47 and finishing third at the 2024 New York City Marathon in 2:08:00, behind Abdi Nageeye of the Netherlands and compatriot Evans Chebet.
Korir’s provisional suspension comes amid heightened scrutiny of Kenyan athletics, which continues to grapple with a surge in anti-doping violations.
His case adds to a growing list of elite Kenyan runners sanctioned or investigated for doping offences in recent years.
According to anti-doping data, 46 Kenyan athletes were suspended for doping violations between January 1 and July 31, 2025.
Of these, 34 cases were handled by the Athletics Disciplinary and Anti-Doping Board (ADAK), while the AIU imposed 12 suspensions.
Kenya is currently classified in WADA’s Category “A”, a designation reserved for countries with the highest number of positive doping cases.
Other nations in this category include Ethiopia, Nigeria, Morocco, Bahrain and Ukraine.
Although countries such as Russia, India, the United States and Italy report higher absolute numbers of doping cases, they are excluded from Category “A” due to stronger and more robust anti-doping systems.
