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Female long-distance global champion Ruth Chepngetich has been prohibited for 36 months after the Kenyan confessed to anti-doping rule violations.

Chepngetich was temporarily banned in July following a failed test for a banned substance - a prohibited substance used commonly as a masking agent - on March 14.

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

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) had sought a four-year suspension but the 31-year-old punishment was reduced to three years because she admitted to the violations.

Nonetheless, the AIU will continue to investigate proof from Chepngetich's mobile device which it found suggest "a reasonable suspicion that her failed test may have been deliberate" - featuring messages from as early as the year 2022.

"The case regarding the positive test for the substance has been settled, but the AIU will continue to investigate the questionable evidence recovered from the runner's device to determine if any further infractions have occurred."

'Nobody is above the rules'

When questioned in the fourth month by the integrity body, the marathoner, the initial female to complete a marathon in under 2:10, could not provide an explanation for the positive test.

Although HCTZ has a minimum reporting level of 20 ng/mL in samples, the athlete's sample showed an approximate level of 3,800 ng/mL.

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

At a subsequent meeting on July 11, Chepngetich was shown the previously mentioned questionable proof obtained from her mobile. In the meantime, accidental exposure had also been disproven by the AIU.

The athlete changed her explanation on 31 July, claiming that she had used her domestic worker's medication - labeled as being HCTZ - after becoming ill two days before the failed test.

The AIU had "serious reservations about the reliability of the new version of events" and, in the framework of the sport's doping rules, such "carelessness" is deemed "implied intention, for which an increased four-year penalty applies".

An automatic one-year reduction was granted after Chepngetich admitted the doping breaches inside the specified 20-day period.

The three-year ban commenced on April 19 - when the athlete accepted a voluntary provisional suspension - with the competitor's performances, awards, titles, appearance and earnings since March 14 forfeited.

"Nobody is above the rules."

"While disappointing for those who put their trust in this athlete, this is how the system is designed to operate."

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