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Women's marathon global champion Ruth Chepngetich has been prohibited for three years after the Kenyan acknowledged 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 accomplishments which pre-date that sample - including her global best performance of 2:09:56 in Chicago in October 2024 - will still stand.

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) had requested a four-year ban but the 31-year-old penalty was lowered to 36 months because she confessed to the violations.

Nonetheless, the AIU will continue to investigate proof from the athlete's mobile device which it found indicate "a reasonable suspicion that her failed test may have been deliberate" - including messages from as early as 2022.

"The case regarding the failed test for the substance has been settled, but the unit will continue to investigate the suspicious material recovered from Chepngetich's phone to ascertain if any other violations have taken place."

'Nobody is above the rules'

When questioned in April by the AIU, Chepngetich, the initial female to complete a marathon in under 2:10, could not provide an reason for the failed test.

While HCTZ has a minimum reporting level of 20 ng/mL in samples, Chepngetich's test showed an estimated concentration of 3800 ng/mL.

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

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

Chepngetich altered her story on July 31, claiming that she had taken her domestic worker's pills - labeled as being HCTZ - 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 athletics' anti-doping rules, such "recklessness" is considered "implied intention, for which an longer 48-month penalty applies".

An standard 12-month decrease was granted after the runner admitted the anti-doping breaches within the 20 days required.

The three-year ban commenced on April 19 - when the athlete agreed to a temporary ban - with the runner's results, awards, championships, appearance and earnings since 14 March forfeited.

"No one is above the rules."

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

"The road-running industry should be praised for jointly supporting doping prevention able to revealing doping violations performed by top competitors in their races."