Rita Jeptoo appeared for two hours at a hearing with Athletics Kenya in Nairobi on Thursday, but no decision was made regarding her punishment for producing positive “A” and “B” samples for EPO after an out-of-competition test in September. 

 

The 2014 Boston and Chicago Marathon winner took part in a 12-hour closed-door series of testimonies and deliberations. Athletics Kenya medical commission member and chief executive Isaac Mwangi commented that Jeptoo’s case would be continued “because there is a lot of information that has come about through the hearing and we have to go back and consult,” according to Agence France Presse. 

 

Jeptoo faces a suspension of at least two years plus the loss of a string of recent titles, including her 2014 Boston Marathon course record performance (2:18.57), which earned a $25,000 bonus. 

 

The second hearing will take place in two weeks and should determine the length of the Kenyan marathoner’s ban from competition and which of her marathon titles she will forfeit. Mwangi also mentioned that Athletics Kenya will consult with the IAAF to determine the length of her ban from competition, which could result in a mandated four-year ban. 

 

Jeptoo’s positive “B” sample was announced Dec. 19 and confirmed her use of the performance-enhancing drug EPO after she clinched the women’s point leadership of the 2013/2014 World Marathon Majors series and its $500,000 purse. The series award ceremony was scheduled for Nov. 3 but was canceled after her “A” sample appeared positive. 

 

Her estranged husband Noah Busienei stated that he believes his wife started using performance-enhancing drugs in 2011 after giving birth to their child in her attempt to make a competitive comeback.