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Women's marathon world record-holder the athlete has been suspended for 36 months after the Kenyan acknowledged anti-doping infractions.

Chepngetich was provisionally suspended in July following a failed test for a banned substance - a banned diuretic used commonly as a masking agent - on 14 March.

The athlete's accomplishments which pre-date that test - such as her global best performance of two hours, nine minutes and 56 seconds in the Chicago event in October 2024 - will still stand.

The sports governing body had requested a 48-month ban but the 31-year-old punishment was lowered to three years because she confessed to the violations.

However, the integrity unit will keep examining evidence from the athlete's mobile device which it found indicate "strong grounds that her positive test may have been deliberate" - including communications from as early as the year 2022.

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

'Nobody is above the rules'

When questioned in the fourth month by the AIU, Chepngetich, the first woman to complete a marathon in under 2:10, was unable to give an reason for the positive test.

While the substance has a minimum reporting level of 20 ng/mL in urine, Chepngetich's sample showed an estimated concentration of 3800 ng/mL.

Small amounts of HCTZ under the detection threshold were also found in a test collected from the runner 14 days prior, on February 28.

At a later interview on 11 July, the record holder was presented with the previously mentioned suspicious evidence obtained from her phone. Meanwhile, contamination had also been ruled out by the authority.

The athlete changed her explanation on July 31, claiming that she had taken her domestic worker's medication - labeled as being HCTZ - after becoming ill two days before the positive test.

The AIU had "major doubts about the reliability of the revised account" and, in the context of the athletics' doping regulations, such "recklessness" is considered "indirect intent, for which an increased four-year penalty applies".

An automatic one-year reduction was granted after the runner admitted the doping breaches within the specified 20-day period.

The 36-month suspension commenced on 19 April - when the athlete accepted a temporary ban - with the competitor's results, honors, titles, participation and prize money since 14 March lost.

"Nobody is exempt from regulations."

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

"Marathon organizers should be praised for jointly supporting anti-doping efforts capable of uncovering substance abuses committed by top competitors in their races."