Nairobi — The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has slapped the 2019 Chicago Marathon champion Lawrence Cherono with a seven-year ban for three anti-doping violations.
In a statement, the agency said the runner was guilty of an additional charge of tampering to mislead investigations into his positive test for the banned substance, trimetazidine.
"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," the statement read.
According to AIU's account, the two-time Amsterdam Marathon champion presented falsified medical documents alleging to be his wife's prescription for trimetazidine, which he unknowingly took to cure his muscle pains.
"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 22 May 2022," AIU said.
They added: "According to the runner, his wife had been prescribed the 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."
AIU's statement further indicates that investigations into Cherono's wife's medical records at the medical centre - via a court order - revealed that she had never sought treatment at the facility.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
"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 to the athlete's wife since 1 May 2022," they said.
Commenting on the exercise, AIU head Brett Clothier said the ban is justice served to other athletes who complete clean.
"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 interest of athletes who compete cleanly," he said.
Cherono was provisionally suspended on July 2022 ahead of the World Championships in Oregon where he was to represent the country in the men's marathon.
His last race was the Boston Marathon in April 2022 where he clocked 2:07:21 to finish second.
