Twenty-four-year-old Kenyan Esphond Cheruiyot tested positive for trimetazidine from his sample that was taken on September 21 at the Buenos Aires International Marathon held in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
On Oct. 20, Cheruiyot was given notice by the Athletics Integrity Unit of his positive test. He was informed that if he admitted fault, he would see a one-year reduction in his suspension. Three days later, he admitted fault and was given a three-year banishment from the sport, four years, less the one year for his admission.
He has accepted his results from the Buenos Aires Marathon. He accepted the forfeiture of any records, awards, and prize money.
Cheruiyot ran a personal best in Argentina of 2:09:46. He owns a half-marathon best of 1:01:24 from the Madrid Half Marathon in the spring of 2024. The marathon was won by Ethiopian Habtamu Birlew Denekew, who finished 22 seconds in front of Cheruiyot.
His name has already been removed from the public results.
What is trimetazidine?
The World Anti-Doping Agency code includes trimetazidine (TMZ) in its list of banned performance-enhancing drugs. It is a metabolic anti-ischemic used to prevent angina attacks. TMZ is also used to treat specific vascular-related conditions. It works by optimizing how the body’s cells use energy, especially during reduced blood flow.
It is the same drug that was used in 2021 by China’s Olympic swim team. Twenty-three Chinese swimmers tested positive for TMZ before the Tokyo Olympics. China’s anti-doping body ruled that the athletes had accidentally ingested the substance through contamination and cleared them to compete. WADA chose not to challenge the ruling.
Two-time marathon major winner Lawrence Cherono was provisionally suspended in 2022, one day before the World Athletics Championships, after testing positive for TMZ.
Following a two-year investigation where Cherono continued to deny allegations, he finally admitted to doping July 2024. Cherono admitted to breaching three anti-doping regulations. He received a four-year ban for the use and presence of TMZ and a four-year ban for tampering with the rules. The combined eight-year ban was reduced to seven years by the AIU due to his eventual admission and acceptance of the sanction.
Russian sprinter and relay world champion Kseniya Ryzhova received a nine-month ban in 2014 for using TMZ.
