The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2025
Salomon cut ties with Joyline Chepngeno hours after her doping ban
The Kenyan trail runner won UTMB's OCC and Sierre-Zinal in August 2025; a positive test stripped both titles and Salomon terminated her deal within hours.
Salomon · Joyline Chepngeno · 2025-09
What happened
Joyline Chepngeno, a 27-year-old Kenyan trail runner, won the Sierre-Zinal mountain race and UTMB's 61 km OCC event in August 2025 — her first ultramarathon — the fastest week of her career.
Her in-competition sample from Sierre-Zinal tested positive for triamcinolone acetonide, a corticosteroid. The Athletics Integrity Unit banned her for two years from 8 September 2025 and voided all results since 9 August, stripping both titles.
Salomon terminated her sponsorship within hours, saying: 'This behavior contradicts the values at the core of Salomon's DNA… any violation is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.' The race organiser also banned her coach and his team, ordering the coach to repay prize money and costs.
Why it happened
- A first-time champion's results can be voided in one decision — sponsors who tied a campaign to the win had no asset left the day it was stripped.
- The speed of Salomon's exit was itself the statement: in doping cases, the brand that hesitates is the brand accused of tolerance.
The lesson
A victory is a rental, not an asset. Campaigns built on a single result can be voided retroactively, so the sponsor's real investment is the athlete's integrity record — and its exit clause.
Aftermath
Miao Yao and Caroline Kimutai were awarded the OCC and Sierre-Zinal titles respectively. Chepngeno's ban runs to September 2027; Salomon made no further public statement.
Sources
- Runner's World: Joyline Chepngeno Banned for Doping After Sierre-Zinal and UTMB Wins
- Marathon Handbook: Kenya's Joyline Chepngeno Banned for Doping After Sierre-Zinal and UTMB Wins
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