Kenyan marathon runner Lawrence Cherono has been handed a seven-year ban for breaching doping rules, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) announced.
The 35-year-old athlete, known for his victories in the Boston and Chicago marathons in 2019, tested positive for the prohibited substance trimetazidine following an out-of-competition urine sample in May 2022.
“The AIU has banned Lawrence Cherono (Kenya) for 7 years from 16 July 2022 for presence/use of a prohibited substance (trimetazidine), tampering or attempted tampering with any part of doping control,” the AIU said in a statement. Cherono’s ban, which has been backdated to July 2022 when his provisional suspension began, means he will be ineligible to compete until 2029.
The positive test initially earned Cherono a four-year ban. However, this was extended by an additional four years due to “submitting misleading, forged/falsified information,” according to the AIU. The total eight-year ban was reduced by one year due to Cherono’s “early admission and acceptance of the sanction.”
This incident adds to a growing list of doping cases among Kenyan long-distance runners. In April 2023, the AIU highlighted large-scale doping issues in the country. Trimetazidine, a blood flow booster commonly known as TMZ, was also detected in Russian skater Kamila Valieva during the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) faced significant scrutiny in April after it was revealed that 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive for trimetazidine ahead of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. WADA allowed these swimmers to compete after accepting China’s findings that they had ingested the substance unwittingly from food during a meet in late 2020 and early 2021.
Cherono’s ban serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing battle against doping in athletics, particularly in Kenya, a nation renowned for its long-distance running prowess. As the athletics community continues to grapple with these challenges, the integrity of the sport remains a crucial focus for regulatory bodies worldwide.
