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Female long-distance global champion Ruth Chepngetich has been prohibited for 36 months after the runner acknowledged anti-doping infractions.

Chepngetich 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 pre-date that sample - including her world record time of two hours, nine minutes and 56 seconds in the Chicago event in 2024 - will remain valid.

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

Nonetheless, the integrity unit will keep examining evidence from the athlete's phone which it found indicate "strong grounds that her positive test may have been intentional" - including communications dating back to 2022.

"The case concerning the positive test for the substance has been resolved, but the AIU will keep looking into the questionable evidence recovered from Chepngetich's device to ascertain if any further infractions have taken place."

'Nobody is above the rules'

When interviewed in the fourth month by the AIU, the marathoner, the initial female to run a marathon in less than 2 hours 10 minutes, could not provide an explanation for the failed test.

While the substance has a minimum reporting level of 20 nanograms per millilitre (ng/mL) in samples, Chepngetich's sample showed an estimated concentration of 3,800 ng/mL.

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

At a later interview on July 11, the record holder was presented with the aforementioned suspicious evidence obtained from her mobile. In the meantime, accidental exposure had also been disproven by the AIU.

The athlete altered her story on July 31, claiming that she had taken her domestic worker's pills - marked as being HCTZ - after falling sick two days before the failed test.

The AIU had "major doubts about the reliability of the revised account" and, in the context of the sport's anti-doping regulations, such "carelessness" is considered "indirect intent, for which an longer 48-month sanction is applicable".

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

The 36-month suspension commenced on April 19 - when the athlete agreed to a temporary ban - with the runner's results, honors, championships, participation and earnings since 14 March forfeited.

"No one is exempt from regulations."

"Although unfortunate for those who had faith in this athlete, this is how the system is designed to operate."

"The road-running industry should be praised for collectively funding anti-doping efforts capable of revealing doping violations performed by top competitors in their events."