He’s become a familiar face on the start line of many international marathons and half-marathons, but that may not be the case for a while: on Thursday, Kenya’s Kibiwott Kandie, who set a world record in the half-marathon in 2023, was provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) for “evading, refusing or failing to submit to sample collection.”
Kandie was the first person to break 58 minutes in the half-marathon; his time was 57:32, smashing the previous record held by his countryman, Geoffrey Kamworor, by 29 seconds. (Rhonex Kipruto, who finished third in the same race in his debut, was initially suspended for suspected doping violations in 2023 and received a six-year ban in 2024.)
The AIU has provisionally suspended Kibiwott Kandie (Kenya) for evading, refusing or failing to submit to sample collection
Details here: https://t.co/Y8LF9j2o9f pic.twitter.com/422fe7TkJk— Athletics Integrity Unit (@aiu_athletics) March 14, 2025
The world half-marathon record has been lowered twice since then–first by Yomif Kejelcha, who ran 57:30 at Valencia last October, and again in February, when Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda ran 56:42 in Barcelona.
Kandie’s time remains the Kenyan national record over the distance.
A provisional suspension by the AIU is a temporary ban imposed on an athlete before a case is formulated to determine the length at a future hearing. The provisional suspension is a precautionary measure to protect the integrity of the sport. No further details are yet available about the circumstances surrounding the suspension.
