NAIROBI, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Former Commonwealth Games 10,000m champion Lucy Wangui Kabuu of Kenya may be forced to retire from the sport after she was handed a two-year ban for failing an anti-doping test.
Kabuu, who was once the world's second fastest woman in the half marathon when she clocked 66:09 to win the 2013 Ras El Khaimah Half Marathon in Dubai, will be 37 when her suspension will be lifted.
"The athlete provided a sample for in-competition test in Milan, Italy after she finished first in the Milan Marathon in 2018. Analysis of the sample revealed an adverse analytical finding for the presence of morphine with a concentration greater than the required level," the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said in a statement on Tuesday.
The athlete, however, failed to establish how she came into contact with the banned morphine.
"The tribunal concludes that the athlete has not established how morphine came to be present in her system and she cannot therefore justify a reduction in the period of ineligibility," said AIU.
The ban will run until August 1, 2020, dealing a big blow to her career.
Kabuu was suspended in August 2018 and the AIU confirmed the ban in a decision made on Monday.
