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Women's marathon world record-holder Ruth Chepngetich has been prohibited for 36 months after the runner acknowledged anti-doping infractions.

Chepngetich was provisionally suspended in the seventh month following a failed test for a banned substance - a banned diuretic used commonly as a masking agent - on March 14.

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

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

Nonetheless, the integrity unit will continue to investigate proof from the athlete's phone which it found indicate "strong grounds that her failed test may have been intentional" - including communications dating back to the year 2022.

"The case regarding the positive test for the substance has been resolved, but the unit will keep looking into the questionable evidence recovered from the runner's device to ascertain if any further infractions have occurred."

'No one is exempt from regulations'

When questioned in April by the AIU, Chepngetich, the initial female to complete a marathon in less than 2 hours 10 minutes, was unable to give an reason for the failed test.

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

Small amounts of the diuretic under the minimal reporting level were also found in a test collected from Chepngetich 14 days prior, on 28 February.

At a subsequent meeting on 11 July, Chepngetich was presented with the aforementioned questionable proof acquired from her phone. In the meantime, contamination had also been disproven by the authority.

Chepngetich changed her explanation on 31 July, stating that she had used her domestic worker's medication - marked as being the banned substance - after becoming ill two days before the positive test.

The AIU had "major doubts about the reliability of the revised account" and, in the framework of the athletics' anti-doping rules, such "recklessness" is deemed "indirect intent, for which an increased four-year sanction applies".

An automatic one-year reduction was granted after Chepngetich confessed to the anti-doping rule violations inside the 20 days required.

The three-year ban started on 19 April - when the athlete accepted a voluntary provisional suspension - with the competitor's performances, honors, titles, appearance and prize money from 14 March lost.

"Nobody is exempt from regulations."

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

"The road-running industry should be praised for collectively funding doping prevention capable of uncovering substance abuses committed by top competitors in their events."