Norah Jeruto, who won women's 3,000 metres steeplechase gold at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon last year has been provisionally suspended for use of a prohibited substance ©Getty Images

Norah Jeruto, who won the women's 3,000 metres steeplechase title at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon last year has been hit with a provisional suspension for the use of a banned substance.

Jeruto, who represented Kenya before switching allegiance to Kazakhstan last year, has been given the provisional suspension for using an unidentified prohibited substance, which was traced through her athlete biological passport data.

Jeruto took gold in the 3,000 metres steeplechase at the 2016 African Championships in Durban, and was the 2021 Diamond League champion in the discipline.

Jeruto, pictured here celebrating her World Championship gold in Oregon, could lose the title if the suspension stands ©Getty Images
Jeruto, pictured here celebrating her World Championship gold in Oregon, could lose the title if the suspension stands ©Getty Images

If the suspension stands, Kazakhstan’s Jeruto faces losing her World Championship title, which she won in a championship record and national record of 8min 53.02sec.

If this happened, Werkuha Getachew of Ethiopia would be in line to be promoted to the gold medal, with her compatriot Mekides Abebe in line to move up to silver.

Bahrain’s Winfred Mutile Yavi, who finished fourth in the race, would be on course to take the bronze if Jeruto’s suspension stood.

Jeruto missed out on featuring at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics as she was still waiting for her switch of allegiance to Kazakhstan to be completed.