Famous Kenyan cross-country athlete Lucy Mawia Muli is going through a difficult time in her career after receiving a provisional suspension from the Italian Federation due to a positive doping test. Mawia was subject to severe punishment by the Italian Anti-doping Tribunal for alleged violations of anti-doping rules.
The Italian Anti-doping agency revealed that Mawia’s sample returned positive for the presence of Efedrina, Oxycodone, and its metabolite Oxymorphone. Oxymorphone, an active metabolite of oxycodone, is produced through CYP2D6-mediated metabolism.
In an official statement, the National Anti-Doping Tribunal confirmed Mawia’s provisional suspension based on the detection of EFEDRINA, OXYCODONE, and its metabolite OXYMORPHONE in her system. The test was conducted by NADO Italia, following an instance proposed by the National Anti-Doping Prosecutor’s Office.
Mawia’s absence from the World Cross Country Championships national trials held at the Prisons Staff Training College in Ruiru raised suspicions, given her previous track record in the sport. She had firmly established herself as a force to be reckoned with in cross-country running circles.
With a victory in the 2022 World Cross Country Tour under her belt, Mawia’s talent and dedication were undeniable. In 2023, she kicked off the cross-country campaign with a third-place finish in Amorebieta and secured sixth place in Atapuerca, further cementing her reputation as one of the sport’s top contenders.
During the 2022 season, Mawia demonstrated her dominance by clinching victories in races at the start of the tour, triumphing in Bydgoszcz in October and in Soria and Alcobendas in November. Her remarkable performances continued with a third-place finish in Atapuerca and a second-place finish in San Vittore Olona in January 2023.
Despite her stellar achievements, Mawia’s recent participation in events such as the 5km Route de Lille and the Italian Cross Country Championships as an out-of-competition participant has come under scrutiny amidst the doping allegations.
As the investigation unfolds, the world of cross-country running awaits further developments regarding Mawia’s future in the sport.
