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

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

The athlete's achievements which pre-date that test - such as her world record time of two hours, nine minutes and 56 seconds in Chicago in 2024 - will still stand.

The sports governing body had requested a 48-month ban but the 31-year-old penalty was reduced to 36 months because she admitted to the violations.

Nonetheless, the integrity unit will keep examining proof from Chepngetich's phone which it found suggest "strong grounds that her positive test may have been intentional" - featuring messages from as early as 2022.

"The case concerning the failed test for HCTZ has been settled, but the AIU will continue to investigate the questionable evidence recovered from Chepngetich's device to determine if any further infractions have occurred."

'No one is exempt from regulations'

When interviewed in April by the AIU, the marathoner, the first woman to complete a marathon in less than 2 hours 10 minutes, could not provide an explanation for the positive test.

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

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

At a subsequent meeting on 11 July, Chepngetich was shown the previously mentioned questionable proof acquired from her phone. Meanwhile, accidental exposure had also been disproven by the AIU.

Chepngetich changed her explanation on 31 July, claiming that she had taken her domestic worker's pills - marked as being HCTZ - after falling sick two days before the positive test.

The AIU had "serious reservations about the credibility of the new version of events" and, in the framework of the athletics' doping regulations, such "carelessness" is deemed "indirect intent, for which an increased four-year penalty is applicable".

An automatic one-year reduction was applied after Chepngetich confessed to the anti-doping breaches inside the 20 days required.

The three-year ban started on 19 April - when Chepngetich accepted a temporary ban - with the competitor's performances, awards, titles, participation and prize money since 14 March forfeited.

"No one is above the rules."

"Although disappointing for those who had faith in this runner, this is how the process 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 events."