Jonah Koech has been handed a three-year ban by the United States Anti-Doping Agency after a pair of samples showed clear signs of blood doping.
USADA reported on Monday that Koech has accepted the sanction after the samples taken on July 30, 2025 and August 8, 2025 — before and after he won the men’s 1,500m at the 2025 USATF outdoor nationals in Eugene — showed “highly atypical” blood values in his Athlete Biological Passport which is an electronic record that profiles biological markers collected over time.
The hematological Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) was developed and launched globally in December 2009 by the World Anti Doping Agency after building on research and statistical models from leading anti-doping scientists. The tool has an exact purpose in accurately evaluating blood biomarkers over time but also exists as a deterrent for someone to attempt to circumvent the system.
In the case of Koech, 29, his samples from 2025 were highly consistent with blood doping within the ABP detection framework and were further confirmed by the exiting historical record of his blood profile. Additional samples were taken from Koech, compared to existing ABP findings and in February the ABP panel told USADA that an Adverse Passport Finding was indeed positive based on the investigation.
“This case is proof that the Athlete Biological Passport can both deter and detect doping,” USADA CEO Travis T. Tygart said. “To ensure a fair playing field, every anti-doping organization needs this tool and the resources to use it effectively.”
Koech’s ban started on July 17, the date of his provisional suspension, and his results, records, points and medals from July 30, 2025 have all been disqualified. Under WADA’s anti-doping code, the violation is subject to a penalty of four or more years but Koech accepted his violation and was given a one-year reduction on a proposed four-year sanction.
After turning professional in 2022 Koech was fixture on the track circuit in 2024 and races a range of distances from the 600m, 800m, 1,000m, 1,500m and the mile. But in 2025, he saw breakout success, winning the 1,500m at the Rabat Diamond League in 3:31.43 which was then a personal best and saw his 800m time improve to 1:43.32 in Nairobi, which is also a personal best.
At the 2025 USATF outdoor nationals in Eugene last August he surged to a 3:30.17 win for a new personal best in the 1,500m and clinched a spot on Team USA’s roster for world championships in Tokyo the following month.
But that same result at outdoor nationals became subject to scrutiny regarding his blood levels but he still competed in the 1,500m at Japan National Stadium, reaching the final but finishing 13th in 3:37.00. Koech would later attribute the poor performance to a hamstring injury.
