Lawrence Cherono is a prominent name in athletics, particularly in marathons, where he has shown his dominance multiple times: he won the Boston and Chicago marathons in 2019, two of the most prestigious in the world. Now, he finds himself embroiled in a massive scandal, prompting the public to ask: Will this be the end of his long and successful career?

The key to his downfall occurred two years ago, in May 2022, when the Kenyan runner provided an out-of-competition urine sample that revealed the presence of the substance banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency under the category of "Hormones and Metabolic Modulators," commonly known as trimetazidine.

The legend of marathons quickly responded, justifying the presence of trimetazidine in his system by claiming that "during those months, I was suffering from stomach pains" and blaming a doctor who had "injected him with an unknown substance." Cherono's provisional suspension began a few months later, in July 2022, meaning the Kenyan could not compete until 2029.

His explanations were quickly dismissed by the AIU, leading to the process that culminated in one of the harshest announcements for athletics fans: "The AIU has banned Lawrence Cherono for 7 years starting from July 16, 2022, for using a prohibited substance (trimetazidine) and attempting to tamper with any part of the doping control process."

The positive test for the substance initially resulted in a four-year suspension. The remainder of the sanction was due to "false statements and providing fraudulent documents to justify his positive test," according to the AIU.

Thus, the total eight-year sanction was reduced by one year, from eight to seven years, due to Cherono's "early admission and acceptance of the sanction," according to the anti-doping body.

Coincidentally, Kenya and its long-distance runners have been the source of numerous doping cases in recent years. In fact, the AIU reported in April 2023 that there was a large-scale doping system in the African country.

As for trimetazidine, it is a blood flow enhancer also known globally as TMZ, and its use has unfortunately been detected in several scenarios in recent years. This includes the case of Russian skater Kamila Valieva at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, and the famous incident involving 23 Chinese swimmers who tested positive before the Tokyo Games in 2021