Chinese runner He Jie was stripped of his first-place finish in the Beijing Half Marathon. The investigation found that three other runners intentionally slowed down to allow him to win.
Key points:
- The inquiry revealed confirmed that African that Willy Mnangat, Robert Keter, and Dejene Hailu purposefully facilitated He's victory.
- The African runners had been hired as pacesetters by a sponsor.
- All four runners were disqualified, had their medals revoked, and were required to return their prize money.
Catch up:
- The controversy emerged when viral video footage from the race showed the trio signaling for He to pass them near the finish line, suggesting a coordinated effort to assist the 25-year-old Chinese runner win.
- He finished in one hour, three minutes, and 44 seconds, missing the record by one minute and 11 seconds. Official records indicated that Hailu, Keter, and Mnangat placed second, third, and fourth, respectively.
- Mnangat previously mentioned that he allowed He to win due to their friendship and their previous collaboration in the Wuxi Marathon. The Kenyan runner later clarified that they were hired as pacemakers to assist He in achieving the national record.
4月14日，北京半程马拉松比赛现场疑似出现假赛，引发大众质疑。视频中，比赛最后几百米，中国选手何杰原本落后，但3位外籍运动员中有人回头摆手疑似示意何杰反超，又示意队友减速。最终，何杰在默契中完成反超，以一秒优势夺冠。
这一戏剧性画面引发大众质疑。… pic.twitter.com/dRWxbBcIhB— 李老师不是你老师 (@whyyoutouzhele) April 14, 2024
The specifics:
- “I was not there to compete,” Mnangat was quoted saying. “My job was to set the pace and help the guy win but unfortunately he did not achieve the target, which was to break the national record.”
- A special committee admitted revealed that the four runners were initially hired as pacesetters by Chinese sports company Xtep, a sponsor of He and the Beijing Half Marathon. However, the race's main organizers were unaware of these pacemakers.
- “We deeply and sincerely apologize to the world and to every part of society that we did not discover and correct the mistakes in time at this race,” the committee stated.
- Zhong’ao Lupao Sports Management, the race’s main organizer, has lost its right to host the Beijing Half Marathon as a penalty. Xtep was also banned from sponsoring any more races this season.
- In a statement, Xtep said they “fully accept the punishment decision made by the organizing committee,” vowing to “reflect seriously and conduct a deep review” to “ensure such incidents do not happen again in the future.”
