Mexican long-distance runner Citlali Moscote receives three-year suspension for doping

Adriana Díaz Reyes

La Jornada Newspaper, Thursday, June 12, 2025, p. a12

The World Athletics Athletics Integrity Unit (AUI) has suspended Mexican marathon runner Citlali Moscote for three years after testing positive for the banned substance octodrine.

The champion of the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, took an anti-doping test last January after participating in a 10-kilometer race in Valencia, Spain. Three weeks later, a World Anti-Doping Agency-accredited laboratory in Barcelona reported an adverse result in her sample.

Moscote argued that her consumption of the substance was not intentional, but rather due to a contaminated product. The long-distance runner requested an analysis of her supplements, but the UIA determined that the evidence presented was insufficient to avoid the sanction.

Finding no other way to avoid punishment, Moscote, 30, decided to accept the suspension. This isn't the first time the national team player has tested positive for banned substances. In July 2019, she was given a two-year ban due to the presence of oxilofrine and phenpromethamine in a sample taken from the athlete on April 7 of that year.

For his performance, Moscote received a 24,000-peso scholarship from September to December 2024; in January and February of this year, it was reduced to 15,000 pesos, before finally losing the support last March due to the possibility of a positive doping test.

The Mexican woman's punishment will end on March 24, 2028, just a few months before the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

Before Moscote, athletes like Olympic silver medalist Lupita González were sanctioned.

In addition to a four-year suspension imposed by the UIA for failing a doping test (trenbolone, an anabolic steroid), González is serving an extended suspension for lying during his defense since November 2018, according to a ruling by the World Athletics Disciplinary Tribunal.

González will be eligible to return to competition on November 15, 2026. Her goal is to seek a spot on the national team and participate in the Pan American Games, the World Championships, and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

In 2024, Eduardo Rodríguez, who won silver in the 1,500 meters at the 2018 Barranquilla Central American and Caribbean Games, was suspended for three years after the presence of boldenone was detected in his system.

The runner argued that the substance could have come from a medical injection, a post-operative supplement, or meat consumption.

▲ Indiana's Mathurin led his team to retake the lead in the finals. AP Photo

Ap

La Jornada Newspaper, Thursday, June 12, 2025, p. a30

Indianapolis. Benedict Mathurin led his team with 27 points off the bench, and Tyrese Haliburton added 22 as the Indiana Pacers reclaimed the lead in the NBA Finals with a 116-107 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 3.

Indiana, which lost Game 2 at Oklahoma a few days ago, improved its record to 10-0 since mid-March in games following a loss. Several players contributed at different times and were key, said Haliburton, one of the Pacers' leaders.

For the Thunder, Jalen Williams led the way with 26 points, followed by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with 24, and Chet Holmgren with 20. Oklahoma held a five-point lead going into the fourth quarter but couldn't hold on. Game 4 will be played again in Indianapolis on Friday night.

History now favors the Pacers because in the previous 41 NBA Finals, which were tied 1-1, the team that won Game 3 went on to win 33 times, or 80.5 percent of the time.

Fans at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis witnessed a close and exciting duel from start to finish, at times worthy of the history books. There were 15 ties throughout the game. To put this into context, last year's Finals between Boston and Dallas had only 13 total over five games.

TJ McConnell contributed 10 points, five assists, and the same number of steals for Indiana. Since these statistics have been recorded, no reserve has achieved that combination in a Finals game.

“We had guys who came through again and again,” Haliburton added. “Our second unit was sensational.” With less than three minutes left, Aaron Nesmith committed a hard foul on Alex Caruso, leading to a lengthy review by the officials to determine if it deserved to be called a flagrant foul. Ultimately, it was ruled a common foul, and Caruso was awarded only two free throws.

The Pacers, playing an NBA Finals game at home for the first time in 25 years, maintained their composure and control until the end.