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Women's marathon global champion the athlete has been banned for three years after the Kenyan confessed to doping rule violations.

The record holder was provisionally suspended in the seventh month following a positive test for a banned substance - a prohibited substance often utilized as a concealing drug - on 14 March.

Chepngetich's accomplishments which pre-date that sample - including her global best time of 2:09:56 in Chicago in 2024 - will still stand.

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

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

"The case regarding the failed test for HCTZ has been settled, but the unit will keep looking into the suspicious material recovered from the runner's device to ascertain if any other violations have taken place."

'Nobody is above the rules'

When questioned in the fourth month by the integrity body, the marathoner, the first woman to run a marathon in less than 2 hours 10 minutes, was unable to give an explanation for the failed test.

Although HCTZ has a minimum reporting level of 20 nanograms per millilitre (ng/mL) in samples, Chepngetich's test showed an estimated concentration of 3,800 ng/mL.

Small amounts of the diuretic under the detection threshold were also found in a sample taken from Chepngetich 14 days prior, on 28 February.

At a subsequent meeting on July 11, the record holder was shown the previously mentioned suspicious evidence obtained from her mobile. Meanwhile, contamination had also been ruled out by the authority.

Chepngetich changed her explanation on 31 July, stating that she had used her domestic worker's medication - labeled as being the banned substance - after falling sick two days before the failed test.

The unit had "major doubts about the credibility of the new version of events" and, in the framework of the sport's doping regulations, such "recklessness" is deemed "indirect intent, for which an increased four-year penalty applies".

An automatic one-year reduction was granted after Chepngetich confessed to the doping rule violations inside the specified 20-day period.

The 36-month suspension started on 19 April - when the athlete accepted a voluntary provisional suspension - with the runner's performances, honors, titles, participation and earnings since March 14 forfeited.

"Nobody is exempt from regulations."

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

"Marathon organizers should be commended for collectively funding anti-doping efforts able to uncovering substance abuses performed by elite athletes in their races."