Fresh details have emerged over an incident in the Beijing half marathon where three marathon runners including two Kenyan athletes appeared to yield and let a Chinese runner win the marathon deliberately.
One of the Kenyan athletes Willy Mnangat has broken his silence over the controversial win by Chinese runner He Jie explaining what transpired moments before the finish line.
Mnangat while speaking to BBC Sport Africa on April 15, 2024, said that the three were participating in the race as pacemakers.
“I was not there to compete. It was not a competitive race for me,” said Mnangat.
According to the Kenyan athletes, four runners had been contracted to help the Chinese runner break the Chinese half-marathon record of 1:02:33, with one not finishing the race.
In his defense, Mnangat noted that he did not understand why the marathon organizers put his name on his bib/chest number instead of labelling it as a pacemaker.
Kenyan athlete breaks silence
“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,” he said.
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However, by the time of publishing this article, none of the other runners had commented on the incident yet.
The Kenyan came out clean on the reason behind the controversial moment after the marathon organizers said they were investigating the widely shared incident.
Video clips seen by The Kenya Times showed Mnangat, fellow Kenyan Robert Keter and Ethiopian Dejene Hailu of Ethiopia approaching the finish line in the company of home runner He Jie.
The four were approaching the finish line after sticking together throughout the course of just over 13 miles (21 kilometers).
In the footage, the trio was seen pointing to the line and slowing down before waving past the 25-year-old Chinese runner.
Investigations
“We are investigating and will announce the results to the public once they are available,” an anonymous person from the Beijing Sports Bureau told AFP.
Chinese sports brand Xstep which sponsored the event and has a contract with the Half marathon winner in a statement said they were confirming the allegations.
“The situation is still being confirmed and verified by multiple parties. Further information will be communicated as soon as possible,” noted Xstep.
Athletics governing body World Athletics in a statement said it was aware of the footage circulating online and said it was waiting for the results of an investigation being conducted by the relevant local authorities.
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“The integrity of our sport is the highest priority at World Athletics, while this investigation is ongoing, we are unable to provide further comment, “said a representative.
Pacesetters
According to World Athletics, pacesetters or pacemakers help athletes stay on track to achieve a desired goal in middle- or long-distance running.
They internalize and execute specific instructions given by athlete managers or race organizer with specific instructions for lap times to help runners know the pace necessary to run to set a record.
Informally called rabbits, the runners lead the running event for the first section to ensure a high speed and to avoid excessive tactical racing.
For example, double Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge became the first human to run a marathon in under two hours with the help of a 41-strong team of pacesetters who supported him.
The pacesetters are referred to as rabbits because their job is to lead at the beginning of the race and drop out later as instructed by event organizers.
However, pacesetters can complete the race themselves and outshine the runners, in extra-ordinary circumstances.
Chinese runner He is his country’s record holder for the full marathon and also a gold medalist at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou.
