Bizarre Beijing half-marathon is under investigation after three African race leaders BROKE DOWN before the finish line to let a Chinese runner win – one claims it was ‘because he’s my friend’
- The circumstances surrounding the end of Sunday’s race have raised questions
- Asian Games gold medalist He Jie overcame a big deficit to win on home soil
- Footage appeared to show leaders slowing down and not trying to retake the lead
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An investigation has been launched into the Beijing Half Marathon after organizers appeared to slow down to allow Chinese athlete He Jie to win the race.
Footage from Sunday’s event showed Kenyan runner Willy Mnangat looking towards Jie and pointing to the finish line before the Asian Games marathon gold medalist moved ahead of himself, Kenya’s Robert Keter and Ethiopia’s Dejene Hailu Bikila.
The African trio had opened a gap of a few hundred meters on Jie and made no effort to retake the lead once their opponent had passed.
Mnangat later admitted to the South China Morning Post that he let Jie win the race ‘because he is my friend’.
The organizer of the event – the Beijing Sports Competition Management and International Exchange Center – referred an inquiry to the half marathon’s organizing committee.
Kenyan runner Willy Mnangat could be seen looking towards Jie and pointing to the finish line before the Chinese athlete made his move to the front
The 25-year-old looked set to be led forward as he took the lead in the closing stages
The Beijing Sports Bureau, the body in charge of sports, said an investigation was underway and the results would be released later.
Jie, 25, a member of China’s marathon team, is also the national marathon record holder. He won in a time of 1:03:44, ahead of Mnangat, Keter and Bikila all tied for second place.
The incident has attracted attention on social media, with some describing the race as an embarrassment.
Users of Chinese social media Weibo have written about the run, with a comment saying “this is without a doubt the most embarrassing title of He Jie’s career”.