🔗 Share this article

Women's marathon world record-holder the athlete has been banned for 36 months after the Kenyan acknowledged anti-doping rule violations.

The record holder was temporarily banned in the seventh month following a failed test for a banned substance - a banned diuretic used commonly as a masking agent - on 14 March.

Chepngetich's accomplishments which pre-date that sample - such as her global best time of 2:09:56 in Chicago in 2024 - will still stand.

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) had requested a 48-month suspension but the runner's punishment was reduced to 36 months because she confessed to the infractions.

Nonetheless, the AIU will keep examining evidence from Chepngetich's mobile device which it found indicate "strong grounds that her positive test may have been intentional" - including messages dating back to 2022.

"The case regarding the failed test for the substance has been resolved, but the unit will continue to investigate the questionable evidence recovered from Chepngetich's phone to ascertain if any further infractions have occurred."

'Nobody is above the rules'

When questioned in April by the integrity body, the marathoner, the initial female to run a marathon in under 2:10, was unable to give an explanation for the positive test.

While the substance has a lowest detectable limit of 20 ng/mL in urine, the athlete's sample showed an approximate level of 3800 ng/mL.

Small amounts of HCTZ below the detection threshold were also identified in a test taken from Chepngetich 14 days prior, on February 28.

At a subsequent meeting on 11 July, Chepngetich was presented with the aforementioned suspicious evidence acquired from her mobile. Meanwhile, accidental exposure had also been disproven by the AIU.

The athlete changed her explanation on July 31, claiming that she had taken her domestic worker's medication - labeled as being HCTZ - after falling sick 48 hours prior to the positive test.

The AIU had "major doubts about the credibility of the revised account" and, in the framework of the athletics' anti-doping rules, such "recklessness" is considered "implied intention, for which an increased four-year sanction is applicable".

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

The three-year ban started on 19 April - when the athlete agreed to a voluntary provisional suspension - with the runner's performances, honors, titles, participation and prize money since March 14 lost.

"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."

"Marathon organizers should be commended for collectively funding doping prevention capable of revealing doping violations performed by top competitors in their races."