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Female long-distance world record-holder the athlete has been banned for three years after the Kenyan admitted to anti-doping infractions.

Chepngetich was provisionally suspended in July following a failed test for Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) - a banned diuretic used commonly as a concealing drug - on 14 March.

Chepngetich's achievements which occurred before that test - such as her world record time of 2:09:56 in the Chicago event in October 2024 - will still stand.

The sports governing body had sought a 48-month ban but the runner's punishment was lowered to three years because she confessed to the infractions.

However, the integrity unit will keep examining evidence from the athlete's phone 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 positive test for HCTZ has been settled, but the unit will keep looking into the suspicious material found on Chepngetich's device 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 run a marathon in less than 2 hours 10 minutes, was unable to give an explanation for the positive test.

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

Small amounts of the diuretic under the minimal reporting level were also identified in a sample collected from Chepngetich 14 days prior, on 28 February.

At a later interview on July 11, the record holder was shown the aforementioned suspicious evidence obtained from her mobile. Meanwhile, contamination had also been ruled out by the authority.

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

The unit had "major doubts about the reliability of the revised account" and, in the framework of the athletics' doping regulations, such "recklessness" is considered "implied intention, for which an increased four-year sanction is applicable".

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

The three-year ban started on 19 April - when the athlete accepted a voluntary provisional suspension - with the competitor's results, awards, titles, participation and earnings from March 14 forfeited.

"No one is exempt from regulations."

"Although unfortunate for those who had faith in this athlete, this is how the system is designed to operate."

"The road-running industry should be praised for jointly supporting doping prevention able to uncovering doping violations committed by elite athletes in their events."