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Female long-distance global champion the athlete has been banned for 36 months after the Kenyan acknowledged anti-doping rule violations.

Chepngetich was temporarily banned in the seventh month following a positive test for a banned substance - a prohibited substance often utilized as a concealing drug - on 14 March.

The athlete's accomplishments which pre-date that test - such as her global best performance of two hours, nine minutes and 56 seconds in the Chicago event in October 2024 - will still stand.

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

Nonetheless, the AIU will keep examining proof from the athlete's mobile device which it found indicate "strong grounds that her positive test may have been intentional" - including communications dating back to the year 2022.

"The case concerning the positive test for HCTZ has been resolved, but the AIU will continue to investigate the questionable evidence recovered from the runner's device to ascertain if any other violations have occurred."

'Nobody is above the rules'

When interviewed in April by the AIU, Chepngetich, the first woman to run a marathon in under 2:10, could not provide an reason for the positive test.

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

Small amounts of HCTZ under the minimal reporting level were also identified in a test collected from Chepngetich two weeks earlier, on February 28.

At a later interview on 11 July, Chepngetich was presented with the previously mentioned questionable proof 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 used her housemaid's medication - labeled as being the banned substance - after falling sick 48 hours prior to the failed test.

The AIU had "major doubts about the reliability of the revised account" and, in the context of the sport's doping rules, such "recklessness" is deemed "indirect intent, for which an increased four-year penalty applies".

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

The 36-month suspension started on April 19 - when the athlete agreed to a voluntary provisional suspension - with the runner's performances, awards, titles, participation and earnings since 14 March forfeited.

"Nobody is above the rules."

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

"The road-running industry should be praised for jointly supporting anti-doping efforts able to revealing doping violations performed by elite athletes in their races."