Beijing, Sep 17 (IANS): Former Beijing Marathon winner Wang Jiali was banned for two years after becoming the first Chinese athlete caught via the biological passport programme.

Wang and her coach Lu Qiang were banned for two years from Feb 26, 2013 to Feb 25, 2015 and were each fined for 20,000 yuan ($3,268) by the Chinese Athletics Association Tuesday, reported Xinhua.

The 27-year-old Wang, who has never been found positive in anti-doping tests before, has been suspended since February after anomalies were discovered in her biological passport, which recorded data from her blood samples collected between May 2012 and January 2013.

Wang has claimed titles in a series of marathon events in China including the 2010 Beijing Marathon, 2011 Dalian Marathon and 2012 Chongqing Marathon. She also finished 8th at the 2011 IAAF World Championships in Daegu, South Korea and 58th at the 2012 London Olympic Games.

The biological passport programme monitors an athlete's blood profile over time to detect signs of doping. China introduced the new anti-doping scheme in April 2012.