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Women's marathon world record-holder Ruth Chepngetich has been suspended for 36 months after the Kenyan acknowledged anti-doping rule violations.

The record holder was provisionally suspended in July following a positive test for a banned substance - a prohibited substance often utilized as a concealing drug - on March 14.

The athlete's achievements which occurred before that sample - including her global best time of two hours, nine minutes and 56 seconds in Chicago in October 2024 - will still stand.

The sports governing body had requested a 48-month suspension but the runner's penalty was reduced to 36 months because she admitted to the violations.

However, the AIU will continue to investigate proof from Chepngetich's phone which it found suggest "strong grounds that her failed test may have been intentional" - featuring communications dating back to the year 2022.

"This matter concerning the positive test for HCTZ has been settled, but the unit will continue to investigate the questionable evidence found on the runner's device to determine if any further infractions have occurred."

'No one is exempt from regulations'

When interviewed in April by the AIU, Chepngetich, the initial female to complete a marathon in under 2:10, was unable to give an explanation for the failed test.

While the substance has a minimum reporting level of 20 nanograms per millilitre (ng/mL) in urine, Chepngetich's test showed an approximate level of 3800 ng/mL.

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

At a subsequent meeting on July 11, the record holder was presented with the aforementioned suspicious evidence obtained from her mobile. Meanwhile, contamination had also been disproven by the authority.

Chepngetich changed her explanation on July 31, stating that she had used her housemaid's medication - labeled as being HCTZ - after becoming ill two days before the positive test.

The unit had "major doubts about the credibility of the revised account" and, in the context of the sport's anti-doping rules, such "carelessness" is considered "indirect intent, for which an longer 48-month sanction is applicable".

An standard 12-month decrease was applied after the runner confessed to the anti-doping rule violations within the 20 days required.

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

"Nobody is exempt from regulations."

"While disappointing for those who had faith in this runner, this is how the system is designed to operate."

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