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Women's marathon global champion Ruth Chepngetich has been banned for 36 months after the runner acknowledged doping infractions.

The record holder was temporarily banned in the seventh month following a failed test for a banned substance - a prohibited substance often utilized as a masking agent - on March 14.

The athlete's achievements which occurred before that sample - including her global best performance of two hours, nine minutes and 56 seconds in Chicago in October 2024 - will still stand.

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) had requested a four-year ban but the runner's punishment was lowered to 36 months because she admitted to the infractions.

However, the AIU 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 dating back to 2022.

"This matter regarding the positive test for HCTZ has been resolved, but the AIU will keep looking into the suspicious material recovered from Chepngetich's device to ascertain if any further infractions have taken place."

'No one is exempt from regulations'

When interviewed in the fourth month by the AIU, the marathoner, the initial female to run a marathon in less than 2 hours 10 minutes, could not provide an explanation for the positive test.

While HCTZ has a minimum reporting level of 20 nanograms per millilitre (ng/mL) in samples, the athlete's sample showed an estimated concentration of 3,800 ng/mL.

Traces of the diuretic under the minimal reporting level were also found in a sample taken from the runner 14 days prior, on 28 February.

At a subsequent meeting on July 11, the record holder was shown the aforementioned suspicious evidence obtained from her phone. In the meantime, accidental exposure had also been disproven by the authority.

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

The AIU had "major doubts about the credibility of the revised account" and, in the context of the sport's anti-doping rules, such "carelessness" is deemed "implied intention, for which an increased four-year sanction applies".

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

The 36-month suspension started on 19 April - when the athlete agreed to a temporary ban - with the runner's performances, honors, championships, appearance and prize money since 14 March lost.

"Nobody is exempt from regulations."

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

"The road-running industry should be praised for jointly supporting doping prevention able to revealing substance abuses committed by elite athletes in their events."