Kenyan marathoner Esphond Cheruiyot banned three years for doping violation
A urine sample collected from Cheruiyot during the Buenos Aires International Marathon on September 21, 2025 tested positive for Trimetazidine.
Kenyan marathoner Esphond Cheruiyot has been handed a three-year ban by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) after testing positive for the banned substance Trimetazidine during the Buenos Aires International Marathon held in Argentina last month.
According to a decision published by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), a urine sample collected from Cheruiyot during the Buenos Aires International Marathon on September 21, 2025, tested positive for Trimetazidine, a metabolic modulator prohibited under the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) 2025 Prohibited List.
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The sample, labelled 8204429, was analysed by a WADA-accredited laboratory in Barcelona, Spain, which confirmed the adverse finding on October 20, 2025.
Trimetazidine is a non-specified substance prohibited both in and out of competition for its potential to enhance endurance performance by improving oxygen efficiency in muscles.
Following the findings, the AIU provisionally suspended Cheruiyot on October 23, 2025 and notified him of his rights, including the option to request a B sample analysis or to admit the violation.
The 24-year-old athlete admitted the doping offence the same day, accepting responsibility and agreeing to the proposed sanction.
Under World Athletics Anti-Doping Rule 10.8.1, athletes who admit violations early may receive a one-year reduction from the standard four-year ban.
As a result, Cheruiyot will serve three years of ineligibility, running from October 23, 2025, with all results from the Buenos Aires Marathon onward disqualified.
This includes the forfeiture of any titles, medals, points, and prize money earned after the race.
The AIU noted that this was Cheruiyot’s first doping violation. The decision is final under AIU rules, though WADA, the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK), or the athlete himself may appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Cheruiyot claimed the runner-up spot at the Buenos Aires International Marathon in Argentina, clocking 2:09:46. He finished just behind Ethiopian Habtamu Birlew Denekew, who won in 2:09:21, while fellow Kenyan Dickson Kiptoo took third place with a time of 2:15:06.
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