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Female long-distance global champion Ruth Chepngetich has been banned for 36 months after the runner confessed to doping rule violations.

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

Chepngetich's accomplishments which pre-date that test - such as her world record time of 2:09:56 in Chicago in October 2024 - will remain valid.

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) had requested a four-year suspension but the 31-year-old punishment was lowered to three years because she admitted to the violations.

However, the AIU will keep examining evidence from the athlete's mobile device which it found indicate "strong grounds that her failed test may have been intentional" - featuring communications dating back to the year 2022.

"This matter concerning the failed test for the substance has been settled, but the AIU will keep looking into the questionable evidence found on the runner's phone to determine if any further infractions have occurred."

'Nobody is above the rules'

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

Although the substance has a minimum reporting level of 20 ng/mL in samples, the athlete's test showed an approximate level of 3,800 ng/mL.

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

At a subsequent meeting on 11 July, Chepngetich was shown the previously mentioned suspicious evidence acquired from her phone. Meanwhile, contamination had also been ruled out by the authority.

Chepngetich changed her explanation on 31 July, stating that she had taken her domestic worker's pills - marked as being HCTZ - after falling sick 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 anti-doping rules, such "recklessness" is considered "indirect intent, for which an longer 48-month sanction is applicable".

An automatic one-year reduction was applied after the runner confessed to the doping breaches within the 20 days required.

The 36-month suspension started on 19 April - when Chepngetich agreed to a voluntary provisional suspension - with the competitor's results, awards, titles, participation and prize money since 14 March forfeited.

"Nobody is above the rules."

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

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