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Women's marathon global champion the athlete has been suspended for 36 months after the runner admitted to doping infractions.

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

Chepngetich's achievements which occurred before that sample - such as her world record performance of two hours, nine minutes and 56 seconds in Chicago in 2024 - will still stand.

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) had sought a 48-month suspension but the 31-year-old punishment was lowered to 36 months because she admitted to the infractions.

However, the integrity unit will keep examining evidence from Chepngetich's phone which it found indicate "a reasonable suspicion that her positive test may have been intentional" - featuring communications from as early as 2022.

"This matter concerning the positive test for the substance has been resolved, but the unit will continue to investigate the questionable evidence recovered from Chepngetich's device to determine if any further infractions have occurred."

'No one is exempt from regulations'

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

Although the substance has a lowest detectable limit of 20 ng/mL in urine, Chepngetich's sample showed an estimated concentration of 3800 ng/mL.

Traces of the diuretic under the minimal reporting level were also identified in a sample collected from Chepngetich two weeks earlier, on 28 February.

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

Chepngetich altered her story on 31 July, stating that she had used her housemaid's pills - labeled as being the banned substance - after falling sick 48 hours prior to the positive test.

The unit had "serious reservations about the credibility of the revised account" and, in the framework of the sport's anti-doping rules, such "recklessness" is deemed "implied intention, for which an longer 48-month penalty is applicable".

An automatic one-year reduction was applied after the runner confessed to the anti-doping breaches inside the specified 20-day period.

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

"No one is above the rules."

"Although disappointing for those who had faith in this athlete, this is how the system is supposed to work."

"Marathon organizers should be praised for jointly supporting anti-doping efforts able to revealing substance abuses committed by elite athletes in their races."