Hello

Your subscription is almost coming to an end. Don’t miss out on the great content on Nation.Africa

Ready to continue your informative journey with us?

Hello

Your premium access has ended, but the best of Nation.Africa is still within reach. Renew now to unlock exclusive stories and in-depth features.

Reclaim your full access. Click below to renew.

Lawrence Cherono gets seven-year ban for doping violation

Kenya's Lawrence Cherono reacts after winning the 2019 Boston Marathon on April 15, 2019.

Photo credit: File

Kenyan Lawrence Cherono has been handed a seven-year ban after the former Boston and Chicago marathon winner was found to have violated anti-doping regulations, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said on Wednesday.

The AIU imposed a ban of four years for the violation together with another four-year ban for the tampering or attempted tampering of the doping control, but reduced the overall ban by one year due to admission and acceptance.

Cherono, 35, had been provisionally suspended in July 2022 after testing positive for trimetazidine in an out-of-competition sample, and the AIU determined that the athlete did not have an exemption for the banned substance.

The Kenyan told the AIU that he had been experiencing stomach problems and said a doctor had injected him with an unknown substance, but later gave a different explanation, blaming a mix-up with his wife's medication.

The seven-year ban starts from July 16, 2022, the date of the original provisional suspension.