🔗 Share this article

Women's marathon global champion the athlete has been banned for three years after the Kenyan admitted to doping rule violations.

The record holder was provisionally suspended in July following a positive test for Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) - a prohibited substance used commonly as a masking agent - on 14 March.

The athlete's achievements which occurred before that sample - including her world record time of two hours, nine minutes and 56 seconds in the Chicago event in 2024 - will still stand.

The sports governing body had requested a 48-month suspension but the runner's penalty was lowered to three years because she confessed to the violations.

Nonetheless, the AIU will continue to investigate proof from Chepngetich's mobile device which it found indicate "strong grounds that her failed test may have been deliberate" - including communications dating back to the year 2022.

"The case regarding the failed test for the substance has been settled, but the unit will keep looking into the questionable evidence found on Chepngetich's phone to ascertain if any other violations have taken place."

'Nobody is above the rules'

When interviewed in the fourth month by the integrity body, Chepngetich, the initial female to run a marathon in under 2:10, could not provide an reason for the failed test.

While the substance has a minimum reporting level of 20 nanograms per millilitre (ng/mL) in urine, the athlete's sample showed an approximate level of 3800 ng/mL.

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

At a subsequent meeting on July 11, the record holder was shown the aforementioned questionable proof acquired from her mobile. In the meantime, accidental exposure had also been disproven by the authority.

Chepngetich altered her story on 31 July, stating that she had taken 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 "carelessness" is considered "indirect intent, for which an increased four-year sanction is applicable".

An automatic one-year reduction was applied after the runner confessed to the doping rule violations within the 20 days required.

The three-year ban commenced on April 19 - when the athlete agreed to a temporary ban - with the runner's results, honors, championships, appearance and earnings since March 14 lost.

"No one is exempt from regulations."

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

"The road-running industry should be commended for jointly supporting doping prevention able to uncovering substance abuses performed by top competitors in their events."