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Female long-distance global champion the athlete has been prohibited for three years after the Kenyan acknowledged anti-doping infractions.

Chepngetich was temporarily banned in July following a positive test for Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) - a prohibited substance often utilized as a concealing drug - on 14 March.

The athlete's achievements which pre-date that sample - such as her world record performance of 2:09:56 in Chicago in 2024 - will still stand.

The sports governing body had requested a four-year suspension but the 31-year-old penalty was reduced to three years because she confessed to the violations.

However, the integrity unit will continue to investigate evidence from Chepngetich's phone which it found suggest "a reasonable suspicion that her failed test may have been intentional" - featuring communications from as early as 2022.

"The case concerning the failed test for the substance has been resolved, but the unit will continue to investigate the questionable evidence recovered from the runner's phone to ascertain if any other violations have occurred."

'Nobody is above the rules'

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 reason for the failed test.

Although HCTZ has a minimum reporting level of 20 ng/mL in urine, the athlete's sample showed an estimated concentration of 3800 ng/mL.

Traces of the diuretic below the minimal reporting level were also found in a test collected from Chepngetich 14 days prior, on February 28.

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

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

The AIU had "serious reservations about the reliability 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 penalty applies".

An standard 12-month decrease was applied after the runner admitted the doping breaches inside the specified 20-day period.

The 36-month suspension commenced on 19 April - when the athlete accepted a voluntary provisional suspension - with the runner's performances, honors, championships, appearance and earnings since March 14 lost.

"Nobody is exempt from regulations."

"Although unfortunate for those who put their trust in this runner, this is how the process is supposed to work."

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