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Women's marathon world record-holder Ruth Chepngetich has been banned for three years after the Kenyan confessed to doping infractions.

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

The athlete's achievements which occurred before that sample - including her world record performance of 2:09:56 in Chicago in 2024 - will remain valid.

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) had requested a 48-month suspension but the 31-year-old penalty was reduced to 36 months because she admitted to the violations.

However, the AIU will keep examining evidence from the athlete's mobile device which it found suggest "a reasonable suspicion that her positive test may have been deliberate" - featuring communications from as early as 2022.

"The case concerning the failed test for HCTZ has been settled, but the AIU will continue to investigate the suspicious material found on Chepngetich's phone to determine if any other violations have occurred."

'Nobody is above the rules'

When interviewed in April by the integrity body, the marathoner, the initial female 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 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 sample collected from the runner 14 days prior, on 28 February.

At a subsequent meeting on 11 July, the record holder was presented with the aforementioned questionable proof acquired from her mobile. In the meantime, contamination had also been ruled out by the AIU.

The athlete altered her story on July 31, claiming that she had used her housemaid's medication - marked as being the banned substance - after becoming ill 48 hours prior to the positive test.

The unit had "major doubts about the reliability of the new version of events" and, in the context of the athletics' doping regulations, such "recklessness" is considered "implied intention, for which an increased four-year sanction applies".

An automatic one-year reduction was applied after the runner admitted the doping breaches within the 20 days required.

The three-year ban started on April 19 - when Chepngetich agreed to a temporary ban - with the competitor's results, awards, titles, appearance and prize money from 14 March forfeited.

"Nobody is exempt from regulations."

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

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