Marathon Record Holder Ruth Chepngetich Handed Three-Year Suspension

Women's marathon global champion Ruth Chepngetich has been suspended for three years after the runner admitted to doping infractions.

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

Chepngetich's achievements which pre-date that sample - including her global best time of two hours, nine minutes and 56 seconds in Chicago in 2024 - will still stand.

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) had sought a four-year ban but the runner's punishment was reduced to three years because she admitted to the infractions.

Nonetheless, the integrity unit will continue to investigate proof from the athlete's phone which it found suggest "a reasonable suspicion that her positive test may have been intentional" - featuring messages dating back to the year 2022.

"This matter regarding the positive test for HCTZ has been settled, but the unit will continue to investigate the suspicious material recovered from Chepngetich's phone to ascertain if any other violations have taken place."

'Nobody is above the rules'

When questioned in April by the integrity body, Chepngetich, the first woman to complete a marathon in under 2:10, was unable to give an reason for the positive test.

While the substance has a lowest detectable limit of 20 nanograms per millilitre (ng/mL) in samples, the athlete's test showed an estimated concentration of 3,800 ng/mL.

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

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

The athlete changed her explanation on July 31, claiming that she had used her housemaid's medication - marked as being HCTZ - after falling sick two days before the failed test.

The AIU had "major doubts about the credibility of the revised account" and, in the framework of the sport's doping regulations, such "recklessness" is deemed "implied intention, for which an longer 48-month penalty is applicable".

An automatic one-year reduction was applied after Chepngetich admitted the doping breaches within the 20 days required.

The 36-month suspension started on 19 April - when Chepngetich agreed to a temporary ban - with the runner's results, awards, titles, participation and earnings since March 14 lost.

"Nobody is exempt from regulations."

"Although disappointing 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 uncovering doping violations performed by top competitors in their events."