London Marathon winner is banned for life and had to return winnings after race

History was made in the London Marathon on Sunday as Sebastian Sawe won the men’s marathon with a sub-two-hour time.

Sawe has been dogged with doping questions and has gone out of his way along with Adidas to disprove these questions as he aims to prove that all this success is due to his training and ability.

Meanwhile, the women’s race was won by Hellen Obiri as she crossed the line in a time of 2 hr 15 min 41 sec to beat her compatriot Joyciline Jepkosgei.

As fans of the sport celebrate this incredible feat, accusations from some pockets about doping will not disappear, particularly after the case where a former London Marathon winner was caught doping and has subsequently been banned.

Liliya Shobukhova of Russia crosses the finish line to win the VLM Womens Elite section of the 2010 Virgin London Marathon on April 25, 2010 in London, England. (Getty Images)

Liliya Shobukhova was ordered to pay back her prize money after being hit with a doping ban and has been banned for life for competing in the race.

The Russian claimed the title back in 2010 and soaked in the celebrations of achieving a victory in the London Marathon; however, it has now turned out that this win may not have been as incredible as it once seemed, as reported by Wales Online.

The 48-year-old triumphed at the 2010 London Marathon with a time of two hours and 22 minutes, finishing 30 seconds ahead of Ethiopia’s Aselefech Mergia.

In 2014, the Russian Athletics Federation confirmed that irregularities had been found in Shobukhova's biological passport. As a result, all of her results dating back to October 9, 2009, were declared void.

So, this meant that her 2010 victory was stripped from her, and she was ordered to pay back her prize money, having to repay almost £378,000 accumulated through appearance fees and prize money at the London Marathons in 2010 and 2011, when she also finished as runner-up.

The former London Marathon winner was initially handed a 38-month suspension, but this punishment was reduced by seven months due to her cooperation with the World Anti-Doping Agency during the investigation.

Alongside her ban from the London Marathon, Shobukhova was also barred from competing in the other World Marathon Majors.

This meant that she was unable to compete in the marathons in Tokyo, Boston, Berlin, Chicago and New York City.