Beijing half marathon launch investigations after 2 Kenyans, Ethiopian let Chinese runner win
15th April 2024
Video footage shows the 3 African athletes slowing down and letting He win the race.
- Kenyans Robert Keter and Willy Mnangat, Dejene Hailu of Ethiopia were in the lead upto the final metres of the race.
- The three African runners can be seen pointing to the finish line and apparently waving He out in front, while appearing to slow down.
- He, the 2023 Asian Games marathon gold medallist, then went on to win by one second.
Beijing half marathon organisers said Monday they were
investigating after footage shared widely online appeared to show three African
runners deliberately allowing China's He Jie to win.
Video clips of Sunday's race showed the Kenyans Robert Keter
and Willy Mnangat, Dejene Hailu of Ethiopia and home runner He approaching the
finish.
The three African runners can be seen pointing to the finish
line and apparently waving He out in front, while appearing to slow down.
He, the 2023 Asian Games marathon gold medallist, won by one
second.
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The four had stuck together throughout the course of just
over 13 miles (21 kilometres), a broadcaster noted.
"We are investigating and will announce the results to
the public once they are available," a person from the Beijing Sports
Bureau, who wished to remain anonymous, told AFP.
The event's organiser -- the Beijing Sports Competition
Management and International Exchange Center -- also said an investigation had
been launched.
The incident received significant attention on Chinese
social media site Weibo, with some users criticising what they saw as an
"embarrassing" result.
"This will certainly be the most embarrassing
championship in He Jie's career," one wrote.
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"With such a major organiser and such a well-known
event, this really pushes sportsmanship to the ground in shame," the post
added.
Long-distance running has boomed in recent years among
China's middle class, but there have been numerous instances of cheating and
poor organisation.
In 2018, at a half-marathon in the southern city of
Shenzhen, 258 runners were found to have cheated, including many who took
shortcuts.
Traffic cameras caught them darting through trees to join a
different part of the race.
In 2019 a woman was filmed riding a green-coloured rental
bike in the Xuzhou International Marathon in eastern China.
She was ordered by race officials to dismount the bike, only to get back on again afterwards.
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