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Female long-distance world record-holder Ruth Chepngetich has been suspended for three years after the Kenyan admitted to doping infractions.

The record holder was temporarily banned 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 test - such as her world record time of 2:09:56 in the Chicago event in 2024 - will still stand.

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

However, the AIU will keep examining proof from the athlete's phone which it found suggest "a reasonable suspicion that her positive test may have been intentional" - featuring messages from as early as 2022.

"This matter regarding the positive test for HCTZ has been settled, but the unit will continue to investigate the questionable evidence found on the runner's phone to ascertain if any other violations have occurred."

'No one is exempt from regulations'

When questioned in the fourth month by the AIU, the marathoner, the first woman to complete a marathon in less than 2 hours 10 minutes, could not provide an reason for the failed test.

Although the substance has a minimum reporting level of 20 ng/mL in urine, Chepngetich's sample showed an estimated concentration of 3,800 ng/mL.

Traces of the diuretic under the detection threshold were also found in a test taken from the runner two weeks earlier, on February 28.

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

The athlete changed her explanation on July 31, stating that she had taken her domestic worker's pills - labeled as being HCTZ - after falling sick 48 hours prior to the failed test.

The AIU had "serious reservations about the reliability of the new version of events" and, in the context of the sport's doping rules, such "recklessness" is deemed "implied intention, for which an longer 48-month sanction applies".

An automatic one-year reduction was applied after Chepngetich admitted the anti-doping rule violations within the 20 days required.

The 36-month suspension started on 19 April - when the athlete accepted a temporary ban - with the runner's results, awards, titles, appearance and earnings from 14 March forfeited.

"No one is exempt from regulations."

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

"Marathon organizers should be praised for jointly supporting doping prevention capable of revealing doping violations performed by top competitors in their events."