The countdown for his return to international competitions is nearing its end for Dominican track star, 33-year old Luguelin Santos. After nearly four years away from professional competition due to an age document alteration suspension dating back to when he was 18 years old, the London 2012 silver medalist is preparing to return to the world stage, with his sights set on competing before a home crowd.
The 400-meter specialist from Bayaguana, Monte Plata, revealed he is physically and mentally ready to reclaim his place in the sport. His immediate roadmap includes the 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Torun, Poland (March 20–22, 2026), followed by a cornerstone appearance at the 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games (July 24 – August 8, 2026) in Santo Domingo this summer.
During his time away from the track, Santos remained a visible figure in the sporting world by transitioning to the broadcast booth. He served as a commentator and analyst for major international events, including the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games and the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
While his work as a broadcaster allowed him to stay connected to the elite level of the sport and share his technical expertise with fans, Santos maintained that his true calling remained on the track. This period of reflection and analysis has now transitioned back into active training.
For Santos, the return is as much about emotional liberation as it is about athletic performance.
“I feel excellent, free from everything, and more than prepared to return to the track to compete,” Santos stated. “Now I can run free,” he told El Dia.
The athlete has spent the duration of his sanction training for this moment. He issued a heartfelt invitation to the Dominican public to witness his homecoming at the Santo Domingo 2026 Games, an event he has focused on throughout his forced hiatus.
Inspiration from a legend
Santos’ comeback is guided by a full-circle moment in Dominican sports history. He is currently coached by Félix Sánchez, the two-time Olympic gold medalist (400 m hurdles Athens 2004 and London 2012), whose 2003 Pan American Games victory in Santo Domingo first ignited Santos’ Olympic dreams.
Santos has adopted a specialized training philosophy under Sánchez that emphasizes efficiency over volume. He recently noted that while his current sessions are “shorter” than in his youth, they are significantly more intense and technically focused, leaving him in better physical condition than during his peak years.
In a conversation with fellow Olympic medalist Luisito Pie, Santos recalled watching Sánchez’s historic gold medal in the Pan Am Games in Santo Domingo on television. “When I saw Félix win gold in 2003, I said ‘Wow’ and asked myself, ‘When will it be my turn?'”
At the 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Felix Sanchez dominated the 400-meter hurdles, winning the gold medal in 48.19 seconds and setting a new Pan American Games record. His victory on 6 August 2003, secured the first athletics gold for the host Dominican Republic, thrilling a capacity crowd at the Santo Domingo Olympic Stadium.
Overcoming the “hardest blow”
Reflecting on the suspension that halted his career, Santos described the period as the most difficult experience of his life. Despite the “hard and sudden stop,” he credits his support system, including his late mother and close friends, for helping him navigate the psychological toll of the sanction.
“It was a very hard blow… but thanks to God and some friends, I was able to handle the situation,” Santos said. “From now on, the best of Luguelín Santos is yet to come, not just in athletics, but in all areas of life.”
Dominican sprinter Luguelín Santos was suspended from international competition for age manipulation (age fraud). According to the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), Santos admitted to competing in the 2012 World Junior Championships in Barcelona using a falsified “special passport” that listed his birth year as 1993. His actual birth year is 1992, which made him 20 years old at the time of the event and therefore ineligible for the “Junior” category (which required athletes to be up to 19 years). His coach at the time was Jose Ludwig Rubio, a Dominican coach with two Olympic silver medals to his credit.
The competing ban was set to run from 11 March 2023 to 10 March 2026. He was also stripped of his 2012 World Junior 400m gold medal. He was allowed to keep his 2012 London Olympic silver medal because the Olympics is not an age-restricted event, and no violations were committed during that competition. Santos stated in his defense that as a young athlete with limited resources, he followed the instructions of those guiding his career at the time, who provided him with the falsified documents.
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El Dia
4 February 2026