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Female long-distance world record-holder the athlete has been banned for 36 months after the runner confessed to anti-doping rule violations.

The record holder was provisionally suspended in the seventh month following a positive test for a banned substance - a prohibited substance used commonly as a concealing drug - on 14 March.

Chepngetich's achievements which pre-date 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 three years because she admitted to the infractions.

However, the AIU will continue to investigate evidence from Chepngetich's mobile device which it found indicate "strong grounds that her positive test may have been deliberate" - including communications from as early as 2022.

"The case regarding the failed test for HCTZ has been settled, but the unit will continue to investigate the questionable evidence recovered from the runner's device to ascertain if any further infractions have occurred."

'Nobody is above the rules'

When questioned in the fourth month by the integrity body, the marathoner, the initial female to run a marathon in under 2:10, was unable to give an reason for the failed test.

While HCTZ has a lowest detectable limit of 20 ng/mL in urine, Chepngetich's test showed an estimated concentration of 3,800 ng/mL.

Traces of the diuretic under the detection threshold were also found in a test collected from Chepngetich two weeks earlier, on February 28.

At a subsequent meeting on 11 July, the record holder was presented with the aforementioned suspicious evidence obtained from her phone. Meanwhile, contamination had also been ruled out by the authority.

Chepngetich changed her explanation on July 31, claiming that she had used her domestic worker's pills - marked as being the banned substance - after becoming ill 48 hours prior to the failed test.

The unit had "serious reservations about the credibility of the revised account" and, in the framework of the sport's doping rules, such "carelessness" is considered "implied intention, for which an longer 48-month sanction is applicable".

An automatic one-year reduction was applied after the runner admitted the doping rule violations within the specified 20-day period.

The 36-month suspension commenced on April 19 - when the athlete agreed to a temporary ban - with the competitor's results, awards, championships, participation and earnings from March 14 lost.

"No one is exempt from regulations."

"Although disappointing for those who had faith in this runner, this is how the system is supposed to work."

"Marathon organizers should be praised for collectively funding anti-doping efforts able to revealing substance abuses committed by top competitors in their events."