Kenya’s women’s marathon world record holder Ruth Chepngetich was banned for three years on Thursday after she admitted to anti-doping rule violations, but her 2:09:56 mark will remain on the books as it was set before her positive test.

Chepngetich, who smashed the record in Chicago last October, was provisionally suspended in July this year by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) after hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) was detected in a urine sample collected from the athlete on March 14.

The sample revealed an HCTZ concentration of 3,800ng/mL, far above the World Anti-Doping Agency’s minimum reporting limit of 20ng/mL.

Chepngetich, 31, initially denied any wrongdoing and could not explain the positive result despite an AIU investigation, which included analysis of her medications, supplements

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