🔗 Share this article

Women's marathon world record-holder Ruth Chepngetich has been suspended for three years after the Kenyan admitted to anti-doping infractions.

The record holder was provisionally suspended in July following a failed test for Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) - a banned diuretic often utilized as a concealing drug - on March 14.

The athlete's accomplishments which pre-date that test - including her world record performance of 2:09:56 in Chicago in October 2024 - will remain valid.

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

Nonetheless, the integrity unit will continue to investigate evidence from Chepngetich's mobile device which it found suggest "strong grounds that her positive test may have been intentional" - including communications dating back to the year 2022.

"This matter regarding the failed test for HCTZ has been settled, but the AIU will keep looking into the questionable evidence found on the runner's phone to determine if any other violations have taken place."

'Nobody is above the rules'

When interviewed in the fourth month by the integrity body, the marathoner, the initial female to run a marathon in less than 2 hours 10 minutes, could not provide an explanation for the failed test.

While HCTZ has a lowest detectable limit of 20 ng/mL in urine, Chepngetich's sample showed an estimated concentration of 3800 ng/mL.

Traces of the diuretic below the minimal reporting level were also identified in a test collected from the runner two weeks earlier, on February 28.

At a later interview on 11 July, Chepngetich was shown the aforementioned suspicious evidence acquired from her phone. In the meantime, accidental exposure had also been ruled out by the authority.

The athlete altered her story on 31 July, stating that she had used her domestic worker's medication - labeled as being the banned substance - after falling sick two days before the failed test.

The AIU had "major doubts about the credibility of the new version of events" and, in the framework of the athletics' anti-doping rules, such "carelessness" is considered "implied intention, for which an increased four-year sanction applies".

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

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

"Nobody is exempt from regulations."

"While disappointing for those who put their trust in this athlete, this is how the system is designed to operate."

"Marathon organizers should be praised for collectively funding doping prevention able to uncovering substance abuses performed by elite athletes in their races."