Kenyan marathon runner Lawrence Cherono, winner of the 2019 Boston and Chicago marathons, has been banned for seven years for doping, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said on Wednesday.
The 35-year-old distance runner, the 12th fastest marathoner in history with a personal best of 2:03.04 hours in 2022, tested positive for trimetazidine, a drug used to prevent angina, on May 23, 2022, during an out-of-competition test.
“The AIU suspends Lawrence Cherono for seven years, effective July 16, 2022 (the commencement of the provisional suspension) for possession/use of a prohibited substance and manipulation or attempted manipulation of anti-doping controls,” the organization said in a statement released Wednesday.
For this situation, he is punished for four years, but another four years are added for giving false testimony and presenting false documents to justify a positive result, the AIU explains. From this amount of eight, one year is subtracted for admission and acceptance of the sanction.
Cherono, who finished fourth at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in 2021, will not be able to compete until July 2029.
The AIU, responsible for anti-doping testing and investigations in athletics since 2017, in April 2023 condemned the large-scale doping system in the African country, which was “increasingly well organised” with the “involvement of people with medical expertise”.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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