The United States Anti-Doping Agency has announced a three-year ban for Jonah Koech after his Athlete Biological Passport revealed highly atypical blood values consistent with blood doping.

The abnormal samples were collected immediately before and after his first-place finish at the 2025 USATF Outdoor Championships in the 1500m. As a result, all competitive results from July 30, 2025 onward (including his 2025 U.S. 1500m title) and any associated medals, points, and prize money have been disqualified.

Blood doping carries a standard four-year ban, but Koech received a one-year reduction under Article 10.8.1 of the World Anti-Doping Code for admitting the violation and accepting the sanction within 20 days of being charged, which brings the total down to three years.

USADA CEO Travis T. Tygart: “This case is proof that the Athlete Biological Passport can both deter and detect doping. To ensure a fair playing field, every anti-doping organization needs this tool and the resources to use it effectively.”

What you need to know:

The timeline:

• July 30, 2025: First abnormal blood sample collected — before the 1500m final
• August 8, 2025: Second abnormal sample — after his U.S. title win
• February 2026: ABP expert panel unanimously reports Adverse Passport Finding to USADA
• July 17, 2026: Provisional suspension imposed — ban clock starts
• August 10, 2026: Three-year sanction publicly announced
• July 17, 2029: Ban expires

Testing history:

According to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency’s public database of Athlete Test History, Jonah Koech was tested:

• 1x in 2022 (Q2)
• 0x in 2023
• 0x in 2024
• 9x in 2025 (All of them in Q3)
• 1x in 2026

Koech has not competed since finishing 13th in last year’s World Championship 1500m final in Tokyo on Sept. 17th. He previously said he entered the World Championships with a hamstring injury he had aggravated at the U.S. Championships. Koech clocked a personal best of 3:31.43 to win the Rabat Diamond League last May and then improved to 3:30.17 in the U.S. final. He also ran a 1:43.32 800m personal best at altitude in Nairobi in May 2025.

According to LetsRun, Koech parted ways with his agent Peter Wolters following the 2025 season.

Koech was a member of the Under Armour Mission Run Baltimore 800m group, coached by Tom Brumlik, but spent the majority of his time training between Colorado Springs and Kenya. While he was in Colorado Springs, Haron Lagat would oversee his training. In June, LetsRun reported Lagat had not seen Koech in 2026.

Who Was Affected By This?

With Koech disqualified from last year’s U.S. Outdoor Championships, Ethan Strand is elevated to 2025 national champion. It would have been his first career national title. (He earned his first in December when he won the USATF Cross Country 2K title.)

Hobbs Kessler finished fourth in the U.S. 1500m final and thus missed out on an opportunity to represent the United States at the World Championships in Tokyo. Kessler was fifth in the Paris Olympic 1500m final just the year prior. He owns World Championship medals from the 2023 road mile (gold) and 2024 World Indoor 1500m (bronze).

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