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Women's marathon global champion Ruth Chepngetich has been prohibited for 36 months after the runner confessed to anti-doping infractions.

Chepngetich was provisionally suspended in the seventh month following a positive test for Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) - a banned diuretic often utilized as a concealing drug - on March 14.

The athlete's achievements which occurred before that sample - such as her global best time of two hours, nine minutes and 56 seconds in Chicago in 2024 - will remain valid.

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) had sought a four-year suspension but the runner's punishment was reduced to three years because she confessed to the infractions.

Nonetheless, the AIU will keep examining evidence from the athlete's mobile device which it found indicate "a reasonable suspicion that her positive test may have been intentional" - including communications from as early as the year 2022.

"This matter regarding the positive test for the substance has been settled, but the unit will continue to investigate the suspicious material found on the runner's device to ascertain if any other violations have taken place."

'Nobody is above the rules'

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

While the substance has a lowest detectable limit of 20 nanograms per millilitre (ng/mL) in urine, the athlete's test showed an estimated concentration of 3800 ng/mL.

Small amounts of HCTZ below the detection threshold were also found in a test taken from Chepngetich 14 days prior, on 28 February.

At a later interview on 11 July, Chepngetich was shown the aforementioned suspicious evidence acquired from her mobile. In the meantime, contamination had also been ruled out by the authority.

The athlete altered her story on 31 July, claiming that she had taken her housemaid's medication - labeled as being HCTZ - after becoming ill 48 hours prior to the failed test.

The unit had "major doubts about the credibility of the revised account" and, in the framework of the athletics' doping rules, such "recklessness" is deemed "indirect intent, for which an longer 48-month penalty is applicable".

An automatic one-year reduction was applied after Chepngetich admitted the anti-doping breaches inside the specified 20-day period.

The 36-month suspension started on April 19 - when Chepngetich agreed to a voluntary provisional suspension - with the runner's results, honors, championships, appearance and prize money from 14 March lost.

"Nobody is exempt from regulations."

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

"Marathon organizers should be praised for jointly supporting anti-doping efforts capable of revealing substance abuses performed by elite athletes in their events."