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Women's marathon world record-holder Ruth Chepngetich has been prohibited for 36 months after the Kenyan admitted to anti-doping rule violations.

Chepngetich was temporarily banned in July following a positive test for a banned substance - a banned diuretic often utilized as a masking agent - on March 14.

Chepngetich's achievements which pre-date that test - including her global best time of 2:09:56 in Chicago in October 2024 - will remain valid.

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) had sought a 48-month ban but the runner's punishment was lowered to 36 months because she confessed to the infractions.

Nonetheless, the integrity unit will keep examining proof from the athlete's phone which it found suggest "a reasonable suspicion that her positive test may have been intentional" - including communications from as early as 2022.

"The case concerning the positive test for HCTZ has been settled, but the unit will continue to investigate the questionable evidence found on Chepngetich's device to determine if any other violations have taken place."

'Nobody is above the rules'

When questioned in the fourth month by the integrity body, Chepngetich, the initial female to run a marathon in less than 2 hours 10 minutes, could not provide an explanation for the failed test.

While the substance has a lowest detectable limit of 20 ng/mL in samples, Chepngetich's sample showed an estimated concentration of 3,800 ng/mL.

Traces of HCTZ under the detection threshold were also identified in a test collected from the runner 14 days prior, on 28 February.

At a subsequent meeting on 11 July, the record holder was presented with the aforementioned questionable proof obtained from her phone. Meanwhile, accidental exposure had also been disproven by the AIU.

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

The AIU had "serious reservations about the reliability of the revised account" and, in the context of the athletics' anti-doping regulations, such "recklessness" is deemed "implied intention, for which an increased four-year penalty applies".

An automatic one-year reduction was applied after the runner admitted the doping rule violations within the 20 days required.

The 36-month suspension commenced on 19 April - when the athlete agreed to a temporary ban - with the competitor's results, awards, titles, appearance and earnings since 14 March forfeited.

"Nobody is exempt from regulations."

"Although unfortunate for those who put their trust in this athlete, this is how the process is supposed to work."

"Marathon organizers should be praised for jointly supporting anti-doping efforts capable of revealing doping violations performed by top competitors in their events."