The New Zealand Olympic Marathon runner Liza Hunter-Galvan has been banned for two years after testing positive, for the blooding boosting drug EPO.
The United States based runner tested positive for the performance enhancing substance, in an out-of-competition test conducted at her San Antonio home in March.
She then requested her B sample be tested, which also came back positive.
At a Sports Tribunal hearing yesterday Hunter-Galvan admitted taking the drug and she's been banned from competing for two years from May 29th, when she was provisionally suspended in the wake of the first test.
Hunter-Galvan competed at last year's Beijing Olympics and the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
Athletics New Zealand CEO Scott Newman says its a blight on the sport particularly after the medal success of 1500m runner Nick Willis at the Beijing Olympics and Hunter-Galvan has let herself and the sport down.
