Chinese runner He Jie’s victory at the Beijing half marathon sparked controversy after organizers launched an investigation after three African runners appeared to have deliberately slowed down so He Jie could win the race.
A video circulating online showed four athletes – Kenya’s Robert Kate and Willie Mnangat, and Ethiopia’s Dejene Hailu Bikila and Ho – approaching the finish line around the same time. Then, three African athletes slowed down, signaled He Chaochao and took the lead.
The four athletes were neck-and-neck just a few meters from the finish line, with Mr. He crossing the track first. The Chinese marathon record holder finished the race in 1 hour, 3 minutes and 44 seconds. The African trio were one second behind him with a time of 1:03:45.
The 25-year-old won the gold medal in the marathon at the 2023 Asian Games and is China’s record holder.
When the video went viral, Mnangagte first told South China Morning Post He “let China’s He Jie win” because “he is my friend.” He also said no one told him to do so and no one promised him any monetary reward.
Six hours later, Mnangate changed his story, telling BBC Sport Africa that he was “allowed to win” because he was hired as a “pacer” and he was “not there to play”.
“It’s not a competitive game for me,” he told the BBC. “I don’t know why they put my name on my bib/chest number instead of labeling it as a pacemaker.”
He added that his job was to set the pace and help him break the national record, but he failed to achieve that goal.
However, all three African athletes competed as official competitors rather than frontrunners. Mnangagte’s Chinese agent, Karen Lin, said the issue “has nothing to do with me” and declined to comment further when contacted.
The controversy shocked Chinese observers, who now question the fairness of the competition.
“It’s so fake. This is too much!” one netizen said on Weibo, China’s X-like social media platform.
Another netizen wrote: “China’s sports world gives me chills.”
The Beijing Municipal Sports Bureau said it was currently investigating the matter, adding that the results would be “announced to the public in a timely manner.”
Mark Dreher, an expert on China’s sports industry and author of “Sports Superpower: China’s Pursuit of the Best,” questioned the “front-runner” explanation.
“So, if they were indeed pacemakers, as apparently claimed, why didn’t they initially say so? Why did this need to be investigated in detail?” he posted on X.
He added, “The most obvious explanation here is that Africans’ tournament fees were guaranteed and/or bonuses were provided for local players to win.”
This is not the first time the marathon has caused controversy. Long-distance running has become a popular sport in China.
Four people were punished for cheating at the 2019 Shanghai International Marathon, including a cyclist.
In 2018, 258 people were caught on traffic cameras at the Shenzhen Half Marathon taking shortcuts or hiring impostors to help them complete the race.
Follow us on Google news ,Twitter , and Join Whatsapp Group of thelocalreport.in
