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Female long-distance world record-holder Ruth Chepngetich has been banned for 36 months after the Kenyan acknowledged doping infractions.

The record holder was provisionally suspended 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 pre-date that test - such as her global best time of 2:09:56 in the Chicago event in 2024 - will still stand.

The sports governing body had sought a four-year ban but the runner's penalty was reduced to 36 months because she admitted to the infractions.

Nonetheless, the integrity unit will continue to investigate evidence from the athlete's phone which it found indicate "strong grounds that her failed test may have been intentional" - featuring messages from as early as the year 2022.

"The case concerning the positive test for HCTZ has been resolved, but the AIU will keep looking into the suspicious material recovered from Chepngetich's device to ascertain if any other violations have occurred."

'Nobody is above the rules'

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

While the substance has a lowest detectable limit of 20 nanograms per millilitre (ng/mL) in samples, Chepngetich's test showed an estimated concentration of 3800 ng/mL.

Small amounts of the diuretic below the minimal reporting level were also identified in a sample taken from Chepngetich two weeks earlier, on 28 February.

At a later interview on July 11, Chepngetich was presented with the aforementioned suspicious evidence acquired from her mobile. In the meantime, contamination had also been ruled out by the AIU.

The athlete altered her story on 31 July, claiming that she had taken her domestic worker's pills - marked as being the banned substance - after falling sick 48 hours prior to the positive test.

The unit had "major doubts about the reliability of the new version of events" and, in the framework of the athletics' anti-doping regulations, such "recklessness" is considered "indirect intent, for which an increased four-year penalty is applicable".

An standard 12-month decrease was applied after the runner confessed to the doping rule violations within the specified 20-day period.

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

"No one is above the rules."

"While unfortunate for those who had faith in this runner, this is how the process is supposed to work."

"The road-running industry should be praised for jointly supporting doping prevention able to revealing doping violations committed by top competitors in their races."