Kenyan-born American middle-distance runner Jonah Koech has been handed a three-year doping ban, losing his 2025 US 1,500-metre title and World Championships result after being found to have used a prohibited method.
The US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) announced on Monday that Koech, 29, had accepted the sanction after an investigation linked highly unusual blood values in his Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) to blood doping.
As a result of the ruling, Koech has been stripped of all competitive results recorded after July 30, 2025, the date his first abnormal sample was collected.
His 2025 US outdoor 1,500m championship victory in Eugene, Oregon, has therefore been annulled. Koech had won the race in a personal-best time of 3 minutes 30.17 seconds, earning qualification for the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo.
His 13th-place finish in the 1,500m at the World Championships has also been disqualified.
USADA Chief Executive Officer Travis T. Tygart said Koech’s case demonstrated the role of the Athlete Biological Passport in identifying and deterring doping violations.
“This case is proof that the Athlete Biological Passport can both deter and detect doping,” Tygart said, calling for anti-doping organisations to have access to the tool and sufficient resources to use it effectively.
Koech’s three-year suspension officially began on July 17, 2026, meaning all results obtained from July 30, 2025, onwards have been removed from his record.
The ruling marks a significant setback for the athlete, who had established himself as a leading 1,500m runner in the United States after claiming the national outdoor title in 2025.
