Lawrence Cherono

Lawrence Cherono is a Kenyan marathon runner born on August 7, 1988. He rose to prominence with back-to-back World Marathon Major victories in 2019, winning the Boston Marathon in a dramatic sprint finish (2:07:57) and then taking the Chicago Marathon title later that year in 2:05:45. His personal best of 2:03:04, set at the 2020 Valencia Marathon, ranked him among the fastest marathon runners in history.\n\nCherono built his career through consistent performances on the international circuit, winning the Amsterdam Marathon twice (2017, 2018) and claiming victories in Prague, Honolulu, and Seville. He represented Kenya at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, finishing fourth in the marathon after being outkicked in the final sprint for a medal.\n\nIn July 2022, Cherono was provisionally suspended after testing positive for trimetazidine, a banned metabolic modulator. After a two-year investigation, he admitted to anti-doping violations including tampering with evidence. The Athletics Integrity Unit imposed a seven-year ban, backdated to 2022, effectively ending his competitive career.