🔗 Share this article

Women's marathon world record-holder Ruth Chepngetich has been suspended for 36 months after the Kenyan admitted to doping rule violations.

The record holder 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 14 March.

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

The sports governing body had sought a four-year ban but the runner's punishment was lowered to three years because she confessed to the infractions.

However, the AIU will continue to investigate evidence from the athlete's phone which it found suggest "a reasonable suspicion that her failed test may have been intentional" - featuring communications from as early as the year 2022.

"The case regarding the positive test for HCTZ has been settled, but the AIU will continue to investigate the questionable evidence found on Chepngetich's device to ascertain if any further infractions have taken place."

'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, could not provide an reason for the failed test.

While the substance has a lowest detectable limit of 20 ng/mL in samples, the athlete's test showed an approximate level of 3,800 ng/mL.

Small amounts of HCTZ under the detection threshold were also identified in a test taken from Chepngetich two weeks earlier, on February 28.

At a subsequent meeting on July 11, the record holder was shown the aforementioned suspicious evidence obtained from her mobile. In the meantime, contamination had also been ruled out by the AIU.

The athlete altered her story on 31 July, stating that she had taken her housemaid's pills - labeled as being HCTZ - after becoming ill 48 hours prior to the positive test.

The unit had "major doubts about the credibility of the new version of events" and, in the framework of the athletics' anti-doping regulations, such "recklessness" is deemed "implied intention, for which an longer 48-month sanction is applicable".

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

The three-year ban started on 19 April - when Chepngetich accepted a temporary ban - with the runner's performances, honors, championships, appearance and prize money since 14 March lost.

"Nobody is above the rules."

"Although disappointing for those who had faith in this athlete, this is how the process is supposed to work."

"Marathon organizers should be commended for jointly supporting doping prevention capable of revealing doping violations performed by top competitors in their events."