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Women's marathon world record-holder the athlete has been banned for 36 months after the runner acknowledged anti-doping rule violations.

Chepngetich was temporarily banned in the seventh month following a failed test for Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) - a prohibited substance often utilized as a concealing drug - on March 14.

Chepngetich's accomplishments which occurred before that test - such as her global best performance of 2:09:56 in Chicago in October 2024 - will still stand.

The sports governing body had sought a four-year suspension but the runner's punishment was reduced to 36 months because she confessed to the violations.

However, the integrity unit will keep examining evidence from Chepngetich's phone which it found indicate "strong grounds that her failed test may have been intentional" - including messages dating back to 2022.

"The case regarding the positive test for the substance has been settled, but the AIU will continue to investigate the suspicious material found on the runner's device to ascertain if any further infractions have taken place."

'Nobody is above the rules'

When interviewed in April by the AIU, the marathoner, the first woman to complete a marathon in under 2:10, could not provide an reason for the positive test.

Although the substance has a minimum reporting level of 20 nanograms per millilitre (ng/mL) in urine, the athlete's sample showed an approximate level of 3800 ng/mL.

Small amounts of HCTZ below the detection threshold were also found in a test collected from the runner two weeks earlier, on 28 February.

At a subsequent meeting on 11 July, the record holder was shown the previously mentioned questionable proof obtained from her phone. In the meantime, contamination had also been ruled out by the AIU.

The athlete changed her explanation on July 31, stating that she had used her housemaid's medication - labeled as being the banned substance - after falling sick two days before the failed test.

The unit had "serious reservations about the reliability of the revised account" and, in the framework of the sport's anti-doping rules, such "carelessness" is deemed "indirect intent, for which an longer 48-month penalty applies".

An standard 12-month decrease was granted after Chepngetich confessed to the anti-doping rule violations inside the specified 20-day period.

The 36-month suspension started on 19 April - when Chepngetich agreed to a voluntary provisional suspension - with the competitor's results, awards, championships, appearance and prize money from March 14 forfeited.

"No one is above the rules."

"While unfortunate for those who had faith in this runner, this is how the process is supposed to work."

"The road-running industry should be commended for jointly supporting anti-doping efforts able to revealing substance abuses committed by elite athletes in their races."