Beijing half marathon organizers on Monday April 15 said they were investigating a footage shared widely online that appeared to show two Kenyan athletes deliberately allowing China’s He Jie to win.
Video clips of Sunday’s April 14 race showed two Kenyans Robert Keter and Willy Mnangat, Dejene Hailu of Ethiopia and home runner He Jie approaching the finish line.
The four had stuck together throughout the course of just over 13 miles (21 kilometers).
“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.
Xstep, a Chinese sports brand who sponsored the event and have a contract with He, told Chinese state-owned The Paper, external that the situation is still being confirmed and verified by multiple parties.
They noted that further information on the probe will be communicated as soon as possible.
Investigations on Kenyan Athletes After Controversial Finish
In the last few hundred meters of the race, Chinese athlete He Jie was originally behind as seen in the video.
As they continued the race, one of the Kenyan athletes can be seen pointing to the finish line, turning his head and waving his hand in what can be deduced as signaling He Jie to overtake.
The three athletes seemingly slow down and in the end He Jie completed the overtaking and won the championship with a one-second advantage.
He won the 2024 Beijing Half Marathon with a time of 1:03:44, while three other men tied the runners up position with a time of 1:03:45.
The two Kenyan athletes and an Ethiopian can later be seen congratulating He, who is regarded as one of China’s top runners.
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“I have never participated in a half marathon before, so this time I wanted to set a personal best [performance],” he told reporters after the race, according to the Global Times.
He noted that he considered the event a training session ahead of the upcoming Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, which will be held from July 26 to August 11.
“Now I am fully preparing for the Paris Olympics; please believe in Chinese athletes. I hope to showcase Chinese speed in Paris and let the world see the Chinese speed,” he said.
Critics on the Win
A section of Chinese social media site Weibo users posted about the race expressing disappointment.
“This is no doubt the most embarrassing title of He Jie’s career” a user noted with the reaction receiving more than 1,000 likes.
Another post added: “With such a major organizer and such a well-known event, this really pushes sportsmanship to the ground in shame.”
According to World Athletics, one of the Kenyans who deliberately sidestepped to let He Jie win is represented by a Chinese agent.
He Jie is currently a member of the Chinese men’s marathon national team, the champion of the Hangzhou Asian Games, and the men’s national record holder.
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Chinese Sports Scandal
In recent years, China’s middle class has increasingly embraced long-distance running, despite several scandals tarnishing the sport.
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.
Likewise, in 2019 a woman was filmed riding a green-colored 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.
