Two Kenyans who ‘allowed’ the Chinese win the 2024 Beijing Half Marathon are the target of action

At the same time, the leaders slowed down to allow China’s He Jie to pass them. He also seemed to signal for him to assume the lead by gesturing toward the finish line.

Two Kenyan athletes who were at the center of the 2024 Beijing Half Marathon controversy have been sanctioned. They and their Ethiopian counterpart were seen on camera slowing down and encouraging China’s He Jie to easily win the event.

Claims that the four were pacesetters rather than competitors in the race prompted an investigation.

The four people that the organizers claimed where pacesetters were given awards as the race winners, but they couldn’t agree on an explanation.

In the video, competitors Robert Keter, Willy Mnangat, and Dejene Hailu from Kenya and Ethiopia were seen slowing down to let He Jie to pass them. They also made a gesture in the direction of the finish line, which seemed to encourage He Jie to take the lead.

The Chinese Athletics Association sprang into action in response to the scandal, promising to put a stop to similar incidents in the future.

“The overall functioning of road running events has gone smoothly overall. However, issues with the planning and execution of the activities have also come to light, which has caused general worry.” Chinese Association of Sportsmen.

The Kenyan sportsmen at the center of the investigation denied any wrongdoing and insisted that they had been hired to assist He Jie in winning.

They saw that they were not race participants and expressed surprise at receiving names on their bibs similar to those of competitors.

The athletes claimed that their job was very clear-cut: making sure he shattered the 1:02:33 mark.

“My goal was not to compete there. For me, it was not a competitive race. Unfortunately, the individual did not meet his goal of breaking the national record, even though it was my responsibility to set the pace and assist him in winning.” Mnangat declared.

They did not, however, disclose the reason behind their acceptance of medals and incentives for a race in which they maintain they were not contestants.

China’s long-distance races are notorious for their scandals involving athletes who use unethical tactics to obtain an advantage.

In 2018, it was discovered that 258 runners had used cheating tactics to gain an advantage and cross the finish line first during a half-marathon in Shenzhen.

A woman was shown on camera in 2019—a year after the Xuzhou International Marathon—riding a rental bike rather than running.