Diribe Welteji Doping Ban Explained: Faith Kipyegon's Rival to Back Just in Time for LA 2028 Olympics

In a major blow to the world of middle-distance running, Ethiopian star Diribe Welteji has been handed a two-year ban following a lengthy dispute regarding a missed doping test.

The ruling, finalised by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in February 2026, marks a significant fall for the athlete who was once considered the primary challenger to Kenya’s legendary Faith Kipyegon.

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The controversy stems from an incident on February 25, 2025, when doping control officers arrived at Diribe Welteji’s home for an out-of-competition test.

According to reports, the officers were informed by Diribe Welteji’s husband that she was asleep. Following what was described as ‘fundamentally contradictory’ accounts between witnesses and officials, the testers ultimately left the property without a sample.

Under the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) and World Athletics rules, refusing or failing to submit to a sample collection is a serious violation.

While the AIU initially sought a maximum four-year ban, the CAS arbitrator determined that Diribe Welteji had acted negligently rather than with the specific intent to evade the test.

Factors such as language barriers between her husband and the officers were considered, leading to the reduced two-year sanction.

The consequences of the ban are retroactive and severe. The Ethiopian runner has been disqualified from all competitive results dating back to the day of the missed test.

She will forfeit her silver medal from the 1,500m at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing. Her 1,500m personal best of 3:51.44, set at the 2025 Prefontaine Classic, has been annulled. This time had previously ranked her eighth on the world all-time list.

Diribe Welteji was also forced to miss the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo while the appeal was pending.

Diribe Welteji’s suspension removes one of the most exciting figures from the track. For years, she was known as Faith Kipyegon's rival, often being the only runner capable of pushing the Kenyan world record holder to her limits.

The peak of their rivalry occurred at the 2023 World Athletics Road Running Championships in Riga, where Diribe Welteji pulled off a stunning upset.

She beat Faith Kipyegon to win the inaugural road mile world title in a world-record time of 4:20.98, handing Kipyegon her first loss of that season.

Welteji also famously took the silver medal behind Kipyegon in the 1,500m at the 2023 Budapest World Championships. Welteji’s ban is set to run until June 30, 2027.

While this sidelines her for the immediate future, the 23-year-old will be eligible to return just in time to qualify for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.