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Women's marathon world record-holder the athlete has been prohibited for 36 months after the Kenyan acknowledged doping rule violations.

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

Chepngetich's accomplishments which occurred before that test - such as her world record time of two hours, nine minutes and 56 seconds in Chicago in October 2024 - will still stand.

The sports governing body had requested a four-year suspension but the runner's penalty was lowered to three years because she confessed to the violations.

Nonetheless, the integrity unit will continue to investigate evidence from the athlete's mobile device which it found indicate "strong grounds that her positive test may have been intentional" - featuring messages from as early as 2022.

"The case regarding the positive test for the substance has been settled, but the unit will keep looking into the suspicious material recovered from the runner's device to determine if any other violations have occurred."

'Nobody is above the rules'

When questioned in the fourth month by the integrity body, Chepngetich, the initial female to run a marathon in less than 2 hours 10 minutes, was unable to give an reason for the failed test.

While the substance has a lowest detectable limit of 20 ng/mL in urine, the athlete's test showed an approximate level of 3800 ng/mL.

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

At a subsequent meeting on 11 July, the record holder was presented with the previously mentioned suspicious evidence acquired from her mobile. In the meantime, accidental exposure had also been disproven by the AIU.

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

The unit had "major doubts about the credibility of the new version of events" and, in the context of the sport's anti-doping rules, such "carelessness" is considered "indirect intent, for which an longer 48-month penalty is applicable".

An standard 12-month decrease was applied after the runner admitted the doping rule violations within the 20 days required.

The three-year ban started on 19 April - when the athlete agreed to a voluntary provisional suspension - with the runner's results, honors, championships, participation and prize money from March 14 forfeited.

"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."

"The road-running industry should be commended for jointly supporting anti-doping efforts able to uncovering doping violations performed by elite athletes in their races."