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Female long-distance global champion the athlete has been suspended for 36 months after the Kenyan confessed to doping rule violations.

Chepngetich was provisionally suspended in July following a failed test for a banned substance - a prohibited substance often utilized as a concealing drug - on March 14.

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

The sports governing body had requested a four-year suspension but the 31-year-old punishment was lowered to three years because she confessed to the infractions.

Nonetheless, the integrity unit will continue to investigate proof from Chepngetich's phone which it found indicate "strong grounds that her positive test may have been intentional" - including communications from as early as the year 2022.

"This matter concerning the positive test for the substance has been resolved, but the AIU will continue to investigate the suspicious material found on the runner's device to determine if any other violations have occurred."

'No one is exempt from regulations'

When interviewed in the fourth month by the AIU, Chepngetich, the first woman to run a marathon in under 2:10, was unable to give an explanation for the positive test.

Although the substance has a lowest detectable limit of 20 ng/mL in urine, Chepngetich's test showed an estimated concentration of 3,800 ng/mL.

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

At a subsequent meeting on July 11, Chepngetich was presented with the aforementioned suspicious evidence acquired from her phone. In the meantime, contamination had also been ruled out by the authority.

Chepngetich altered her story on 31 July, stating that she had used her housemaid's medication - marked as being HCTZ - after becoming ill 48 hours prior to the failed test.

The AIU had "serious reservations about the credibility of the new version of events" and, in the framework of the sport's doping rules, such "carelessness" is considered "indirect intent, for which an increased four-year penalty applies".

An standard 12-month decrease was applied after the runner admitted the anti-doping breaches within the 20 days required.

The 36-month suspension started on April 19 - when Chepngetich accepted a temporary ban - with the runner's performances, awards, titles, appearance and prize money since March 14 lost.

"No one is exempt from regulations."

"Although unfortunate for those who put their trust in this runner, this is how the system is designed to operate."

"Marathon organizers should be commended for jointly supporting doping prevention able to uncovering substance abuses committed by top competitors in their events."