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Female long-distance world record-holder Ruth Chepngetich has been suspended for three years after the Kenyan admitted to 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 concealing drug - on March 14.

Chepngetich's achievements which pre-date that sample - including her global best time of two hours, nine minutes and 56 seconds in the Chicago event in 2024 - will still stand.

The sports governing body had sought a four-year suspension but the runner's punishment was lowered to three years because she admitted to the violations.

Nonetheless, the AIU will continue to investigate evidence from the athlete's mobile device which it found indicate "strong grounds that her failed test may have been intentional" - including communications from as early as 2022.

"This matter 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 determine if any further infractions have occurred."

'No one is exempt from regulations'

When questioned in the fourth month by the integrity body, Chepngetich, 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 lowest detectable limit of 20 ng/mL in samples, Chepngetich's test showed an approximate level of 3800 ng/mL.

Small amounts of the diuretic under the detection threshold were also found in a test taken from the runner two weeks earlier, on 28 February.

At a later interview on July 11, Chepngetich was presented with the previously mentioned questionable proof obtained from her phone. In the meantime, contamination had also been disproven by the authority.

The athlete altered her story on July 31, stating that she had taken her housemaid's pills - labeled as being HCTZ - after falling sick 48 hours prior to the positive test.

The unit had "serious reservations about the reliability of the revised account" and, in the context of the athletics' anti-doping rules, such "carelessness" is deemed "implied intention, for which an longer 48-month sanction applies".

An automatic one-year reduction was applied after the runner admitted the anti-doping rule violations within the specified 20-day period.

The 36-month suspension commenced on 19 April - when Chepngetich agreed to a temporary ban - with the competitor's results, honors, championships, participation and earnings since March 14 forfeited.

"No one is above the rules."

"While disappointing for those who put their trust in this athlete, this is how the system is designed to operate."

"Marathon organizers should be praised for jointly supporting anti-doping efforts able to revealing substance abuses performed by top competitors in their events."