Former world champion Tsegay banned over doping violation

By AFP

Africa

FRI, 12 JUN 2026

Ethiopia's Gudaf Tsegay after competing in the women's 5,000m heats during the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on September 18, 2025. By Jewel SAMAD (AFP)

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has banned two-time long distance world champion Gudaf Tsegay for four months after she failed to apply for a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) for a banned substance.

The 29-year-old Ethiopian tested positive for a metabolite of Letrozole, which is a banned substance, in an out of competition test in early December, the AIU said on Friday.

She was notified of the anti-doping rule violation in late January and in mid-February she submitted a TUE application to World Athletics.

The sport's governing body accepted that she met the conditions for a TUE.

But the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) rejected her application for a retroactive TUE and Tsegay entered into a resolution process with the AIU and WADA.

That resulted in a four-month ban from June 1 to September 30.

Tsegay was world 5,000m champion in Eugene in the United States in 2022 and won the 10,000m world title a year later in Budapest.

She also won a 5,000m bronze at the Tokyo Olympics and is a two-time indoor world champion.