The Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) has unveiled its most recent list of athletes who are provisionally suspended.
Among them is Mercy Adongo Oketch, the national 400m record holder for Kenya, who has been provisionally suspended after testing positive for two banned substances: trimetazidine and furosemide.
Typically, an athlete of Oketch’s caliber would prompt a dedicated press release. However, her name appeared alongside others on the agency’s latest suspension list.
Details of the Banned Substances
Trimetazidine, recognized as a hormone and metabolic modulator, is often prescribed for certain heart ailments, enhancing the heart’s ability to utilize oxygen. In contrast, furosemide acts as a diuretic, capable of diluting urine and complicating the detection of other banned substances, thus categorized as a masking agent.
This latter substance is particularly significant, especially following the recent case involving fellow Kenyan athlete Ruth Chepngetich, the women’s marathon world-record holder. Chepngetich exhibited an extraordinarily high concentration of the same masking agent in her sample. While furosemide may not be a performance-enhancing drug in the traditional sense, its presence raises troubling questions that cannot be easily ignored.
Chepngetich’s sample showed 190 times the minimum reporting threshold for hydrochlorothiazide, another prohibited diuretic and masking agent.
Impact on Kenyan Athletics
During the 2024 Chicago Marathon, Chepngetich completed the race in a time of 2:09:56, reminiscent of the famed Ma’s Army from China.
Noah Kibet, the 2022 World Athletics Indoor Championships 800m silver medallist, is also included in the suspension list. ADAK has suspended Kibet due to the presence of triamcinolone acetonide, a glucocorticoid used to alleviate inflammation, specifically in joints and tendons.
At 24 years old, Oketch is a prominent member of Kenya’s burgeoning sprinting community. Her suspension marks a regrettable turn of events for a nation that is more commonly recognized for its distance-running prowess and is increasingly eager to make its mark in the sprinting arena.
In May 2025, Oketch was part of the Kenyan women’s 4x400m relay team that set a national record of 3:25.80. She also holds the national 400m record at 50.25 seconds.
Additionally, in March 2026, during the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Toruń, Poland, she achieved another national record with a time of 51.25 seconds in the indoor 400m event.
Like the marathon world record held by Chepngetich, these achievements and records will likely remain in the record books.