The Beijing half marathon organisers are probing the men’s race, due to suspicions of deliberate facilitation of the victory of China’s He Jie by two Kenyan and one Ethiopian runners. Video evidence appears to show Robert Keter and Willy Mnangat from Kenya, alongside Ethiopia’s Dejene Hailu Bikila, slowing down to enable He to take the lead in the final stretch of the race. After running together for the majority of the race, the three African runners then fell behind, allowing He to be the first to cross the finish line.
Mnangat stated to BBC Sport that they were acting as pacemakers for He, who is the reigning champion in the full marathon in China. Mnangat noted the race was not a competitive one for him but a pacing job for his friend, He. Mnangat also revealed to the South China Morning Post that he had earlier worked as a pacesetter for He at the Wuxi Marathon in Kenya.
The four African runners, including another who did not complete the race, were reportedly enlisted to help He break a Chinese half marathon record. However, Mnangat expressed confusion about being labelled as a runner rather than a pacemaker. Despite their efforts, He missed breaking the national record.
He secured the victory with a finishing time of 1:03.44, missing the record by one minute 11 seconds, while Mnangat, Keter, and Bikila jointly bagged the second spot.
The Beijing Sports Bureau assured AFP that they were scrutinising the circumstances surrounding this unusual finish line scenario, promising to share findings as soon as possible. World Athletics, in a statement, said that while their highest priority is safeguarding the integrity of the sport, they’d refrain from further comment until the local investigation concludes.