In a significant blow to the world of athletics, Kenyan marathon runner Ruth Chepngetich has been handed a three-year ban after admitting to anti-doping rule violations. The suspension follows her provisional suspension in July 2024, triggered by a positive test for Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ), a banned diuretic often used as a masking agent, on March 14, 2024. Despite the ban, Chepngetich’s prior achievements, including her world record time of 2:09:56 set at the Chicago Marathon in October 2024, remain intact. The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) initially sought a four-year ban but reduced it to three years after Chepngetich admitted to the violations. However, the AIU continues to investigate suspicious evidence recovered from her phone, including messages dating back to 2022, which suggest the possibility of intentional doping. Brett Clothier, head of the AIU, emphasized that while the HCTZ case has been resolved, the investigation into other potential violations is ongoing. Chepngetich, the first woman to run a marathon in under 2:10, failed to provide a credible explanation for the positive test during her April interview with the AIU. Her sample showed an HCTZ concentration of 3,800 ng/mL, far exceeding the minimum reporting level of 20 ng/mL. Traces of the substance were also found in a sample collected two weeks earlier. In July, Chepngetich changed her story, claiming she had taken her housemaid’s HCTZ medication after falling ill. The AIU dismissed this explanation as lacking credibility, labeling her actions as ‘recklessness’ under anti-doping rules. Her three-year ban, effective from April 19, 2024, includes the forfeiture of all results, awards, and prize money since March 14. AIU chair David Howman praised the anti-doping system for its effectiveness in uncovering violations, stating, ‘Nobody is above the rules.’