Kenya’s long-distance runner Lawrence Cherono has been slapped with a seven-year ban for doping by the World Athletics.

Cherono, 35, a former Boston and Chicago Marathon champion, has faced severe punishment from the global athletics body for doping and trying to use fake documents to explain his failed drug test.

Cherono’s case has taken more than two years since he was suspended just before he was due to compete at the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, USA.

Cherono’s case was made worse after he produced fraudulent medical documents in an attempt to defend himself.

“Cherono also violated ADR 2.5 – tampering or attempted tampering with any part of doping control by an athlete or other person, after making false statements and then producing fraudulent medical documents to explain his positive test,” a statement by the Athletics Integrity unit said.

Medical records

The Monaco-based body explained how it undertook the long process that involved Cherono’s wife and also the Kenyan anti-doping agency, ADAK.

“However, in a subsequent written statement, Cherono said he had been inadvertently given Trimetazidine in the form of Carvidon tablets by his wife – instead of the painkillers he had requested – to treat muscle pain following training on May 22, 2022.

“According to the runner, his wife had been prescribed trimetazidine four days earlier at a medical centre. To support his explanation, Cherono provided a laboratory request from the medical centre, including handwritten details of medications prescribed for his wife, along with a photograph of the underside of tablets enclosed in their blister packaging.

After its attempts to secure the wife’s medical records were repeatedly impeded, the AIU – through ADAK – gained a court order in Kenya compelling the medical centre to surrender the documents. In response, the medical centre said there were no records available for any treatment for the athlete’s wife since May 1, 2022.

“This has been an exhaustive process, taking two years and requiring a lot of resources, but thanks to determined investigative efforts and valuable collaboration with ADAK, we have been able to uncover the truth and serve the interests of athletes who compete cleanly,” it added.

Cherono won the Boston and Chicago Marathons in 2019 and his personal-best time of 2:3:4 in 2020 remains the 12th-fastest in history.

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