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Women's marathon global champion the athlete has been suspended for three years after the runner acknowledged anti-doping infractions.

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

The athlete's achievements which occurred before that sample - including her world record performance of two hours, nine minutes and 56 seconds in Chicago in 2024 - will remain valid.

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

Nonetheless, the AIU will continue to investigate proof from Chepngetich's phone which it found suggest "a reasonable suspicion that her positive test may have been deliberate" - including communications from as early as the year 2022.

"The case concerning the positive test for HCTZ has been resolved, but the unit will keep looking into the suspicious material found on Chepngetich's phone to determine if any further infractions have occurred."

'Nobody is above the rules'

When interviewed in April by the AIU, Chepngetich, the initial female to complete a marathon in less than 2 hours 10 minutes, could not provide an reason for the positive test.

While HCTZ has a lowest detectable limit of 20 ng/mL in urine, Chepngetich's sample showed an estimated concentration of 3800 ng/mL.

Small amounts of HCTZ below the minimal reporting level were also identified in a sample taken from the runner 14 days prior, on 28 February.

At a later interview on July 11, the record holder was shown the aforementioned suspicious evidence acquired from her mobile. In the meantime, contamination had also been ruled out by the AIU.

Chepngetich altered her story on 31 July, stating that she had used her domestic worker's pills - marked as being HCTZ - after becoming ill 48 hours prior to the positive test.

The AIU had "serious reservations about the credibility of the new version of events" and, in the context of the sport's doping rules, such "carelessness" is considered "implied intention, for which an longer 48-month sanction applies".

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

The 36-month suspension commenced on April 19 - when Chepngetich accepted a temporary ban - with the runner's results, honors, titles, participation and prize money from March 14 forfeited.

"Nobody is exempt from regulations."

"While disappointing for those who had faith in this runner, this is how the system is designed to operate."

"The road-running industry should be praised for collectively funding doping prevention capable of revealing substance abuses performed by top competitors in their races."