She has received a two-year suspension rather than the now mandatory four-year one because her violation came before the introduction of the new World Anti Doping Code on January 1.

The 33-year-old, winner of the last two consecutive Boston and Chicago marathons, showed traces of EPO in A and B samples submitted last October.

"Athletics Kenya followed due process in her matter and it was appropriate that she serves a two-year ban," said the governing body's chief executive Isaac Kamande following the announcement today.

The failures came just months after she set a personal best time of 2 hours 18min 57sec to win in Boston and less than a week after she won in Chicago, meaning she is likely to be stripped of at least her Chicago victory, leaving Mare Dibaba of Ethiopia as the victor. 

Jeptoo is also set to be stripped of the $500,000 (£320,000/€409,000) she was initially entitled to as winner of the World Marathon Majors prize, with compatriot Edna Kiplagat poised to be crowned winner in her place. 

Edna Kiplagat is set to receive the World Marathon Majors title for 2014 following the ban handed out to Rita Jeptoo ©Getty Images


The suspension also comes at a time of growing fear over doping in Kenya, with Athletics Kenya President Isaiah Kiplagat even suggesting earlier this month that the recent crisis to sweep the nation is "as bad as AIDS".

A total of 26 Kenyan athletes tested positive for banned drugs last year, prompting National Olympic Committee of Kenya President Kipchoge Keino to call on the Kenyan Government to make doping a criminal offence.

Olympic 800m champion and world record holder David Rudisha, arguably Kenya's highest profile athlete, is another to express fear the nation's hard won reputation could be lost due to doping problems.

But there have already been criticisms today that the ban handed to Jeptoo was not strong enough, with former three-time world 3,000m steeplechase champion Moses Kiptanui among these critical voices.

"Two years is too lenient," he told Agence France-Presse.

"She will come back very strong, this will not deter other athletes from taking drugs.

"The rotten few are hurting Kenyan athletics.

"People think everybody who was successful has doped."

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January 2015: Athletics Kenya President claims doping scandals "as bad as AIDS"
December 2014: Jeptoo set to be stripped of World Marathon Majors title after B-sample confirms EPO use
November 2014: Jeptoo requests B-sample as Athletics Kenya confirms provisional suspension
October 2014: World Marathon Majors postpones award ceremony after Kenyan Rita Jeptoo tests positive for EPO