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

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 14 March.

The athlete's achievements which pre-date that sample - including her world record time of 2:09:56 in Chicago in 2024 - will still stand.

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) had sought a 48-month ban but the 31-year-old punishment was lowered to three years because she admitted to the infractions.

Nonetheless, the AIU will continue to investigate proof from the athlete's phone which it found suggest "strong grounds that her positive test may have been intentional" - including messages from as early as 2022.

"This matter concerning the positive test for the substance has been resolved, but the AIU will continue to investigate the questionable evidence recovered from Chepngetich's device to determine if any further infractions have taken place."

'No one is exempt from regulations'

When questioned in April by the AIU, the marathoner, the initial female to complete a marathon in less than 2 hours 10 minutes, was unable to give an reason for the positive test.

While HCTZ has a minimum reporting level of 20 ng/mL in samples, the athlete's sample showed an approximate level of 3800 ng/mL.

Traces of the diuretic under 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, Chepngetich was presented with the aforementioned suspicious evidence acquired from her mobile. Meanwhile, accidental exposure had also been ruled out by the AIU.

The athlete altered her story on July 31, claiming that she had used her housemaid's medication - marked as being HCTZ - after falling sick 48 hours prior to the positive test.

The unit had "major doubts about the reliability of the revised account" and, in the context of the athletics' anti-doping rules, such "carelessness" is considered "indirect intent, for which an increased four-year sanction applies".

An automatic one-year reduction was granted after the runner confessed to the doping rule violations within the 20 days required.

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

"Nobody is above the rules."

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

"Marathon organizers should be praised for jointly supporting anti-doping efforts able to revealing doping violations committed by elite athletes in their races."