Photo Credit: William West
Organizers are investigating the results of the Beijing Half Marathon after three runners from Kenya and Ethiopia appeared to wave a Chinese competitor past them before the finish.
After a grueling hour, there was little to separate the four runners as the finish line approached. But then one extended his hand toward another and gestured, as if waving him forward. Seconds later, another runner did the same.
He Jie of China won the Beijing Half Marathon, ahead of Willy Mnangat, Robert Keter, and Dejene Hailu from Kenya and Ethiopia. The race's organizers are now investigating the results after footage of the finish circulated online, leading to questions about whether the three African runners deliberately slowed down. The livestream of the event shows He Jie's impressive performance.
At one hour, three minutes, and forty-four seconds, he won first place. A second later, Mnangat, Keter, and Hailu were tied for second place.
For most of the race, the four competitors ran together ahead of the pack, with the African runners sporadically overtaking them.
The Beijing International Running Festival has launched an investigation into a controversial incident involving runners Mnangat and Keter, who appeared to gesture to He to run in front of others. The event organizers have created a special investigative team to investigate the matter, following online commentators' questions about the race's results.
The Beijing Municipal Sports Bureau is investigating a race, as confirmed by a spokeswoman. The spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment from Xtep, a sportswear company, and Keter and Hailu could not be reached for comment.
Mnangat, a former athlete, is acting as a pacemaker for 25-year-old He is the 77th-ranked men's marathoner globally. He won the Asian Games men's marathon last year and set a Chinese national record in the Wuxi Marathon in 2:06:57. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
China's long distance running popularity has increased, leading to accusations of cheating among distance runners. In 2018, 258 participants were penalized for cheating in the Shenzhen Half Marathon, while in 2019; female runners were caught riding bikes in the Xuzhou International Marathon and Chengdu Women's Half Marathon.
