Sports · Running & Athletics · 2 hrs ago
Ruti Aga receives six-year ban after positive test and fake prescription
Ethiopian runner Ruti Aga has been banned for six years from athletics over an anti-doping case.
She tested positive for methylprednisolone after winning a half-marathon in China in March.
Aga said the drug had been prescribed for a knee injury.
Investigators found the named clinic did not exist and the prescription came from a family member who was not a registered medical professional.
Two years of the ban are for the positive test, and four for tampering with the investigation.
Aga did not respond to the charges, so the ban was issued without a hearing.
Ruti Aga has been banned from athletics for six years after testing positive for methylprednisolone and submitting a prescription investigators found to be forged.
The Ethiopian runner tested positive after winning the Meishan Renshou Half Marathon in China on March 15, 2026.
The Athletics Integrity Unit imposed two years for the positive test and four consecutive years for tampering with the investigation.
Investigators said the clinic named on the prescription did not exist and the family member who issued it was not medically registered.
Aga did not respond to the charges, and the ban was issued without a hearing.
- Who
- Ruti Aga, an Ethiopian marathon runner.
- What
- She received a six-year ban for a positive test for methylprednisolone and tampering with the anti-doping investigation.
- When
- The AIU announced the ban on October 22, 2026. It is effective from March 15, 2026.
- Where
- The positive test followed her win at the Meishan Renshou Half Marathon in China.
- Why
- Investigators found the prescription she submitted to explain the positive test was forged or manipulated.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Aga won the Meishan Renshou Half Marathon in China and provided the sample that led to her positive test.
Aga gave false information in an interview with AIU representatives, according to the AIU.
Aga submitted a document investigators described as forged or manipulated.
The AIU provisionally suspended Aga while its investigation continued.
The AIU announced Aga’s six-year ban.
- Ban
- Six years, starting March 15, 2026
- Positive test
- Methylprednisolone
- Race
- Meishan Renshou Half Marathon, China
- Race result
- 1:08:04 on March 15, 2026
- Ban breakdown
- Two years for the positive test and four consecutive years for tampering
4 sources
Tokyo Marathon winner handed six-year doping ban for submitting fake prescription
Former Tokyo Marathon champion receives six-year ban
Six-year ban for top marathon runner who submitted fake prescription
« Un document falsifié ou manipulé » : vainqueure du marathon de Tokyo en 2019, l'Éthiopienne Ruti Aga suspendue 6 ans pour dopage
What people are saying
Protecting clean competition takes resources, but this case sends a clear message: attempts to cheat will be exposed
to mislead the investigation by providing false information in an interview
forged/manipulated document
Posts on X
The AIU has banned Ruti Aga (Ethiopia) for 6 years from 15 March 2026 for Presence/Use of a Prohibited Substance (Methylprednisolone) and Tampering or Attempted Tampering. DQ results from 10 September 2026. Details here: https://t.co/HOqaxhVPrz