Yesterday (April 19), the organizing committee of the Beijing Half Marathon (China) announced that it would strip the medal of He Jie (Ha Kiet) - the first place finisher - and cancel the results of the three runners who finished behind. This decision was made after an investigation into the suspicion that the three athletes intentionally slowed down to allow He Jie to finish first.
The Chinese athlete was given the chance to finish by his opponent.
In the competition held on April 14 in Beijing, three African athletes, Willy Mnangat, Robert Keter and Dejene Hailu Bikila, took the lead a few dozen meters from the finish line. However, the trio deliberately slowed down and signaled for He Jie to pass.
According to the decision of the organizing committee, He Jie and the three above athletes must return their medals and prize money.
The Chinese athlete was allowed to finish first by three opponents. (Photo: Reuters)
Mnangat explained that he and two colleagues were hired to participate in the tournament to act as pacers for He Jie. They only served He Jie and were not part of the organizing committee's pacemaking team (which usually appears in non-professional long-distance races to guide and serve as a speed reference for other athletes).
He Jie is China's number one marathoner. He is the reigning marathon champion at the 19th Asian Games and also holds the Chinese record for this distance with a time of 2 hours 6 minutes 57 seconds. He Jie participated in the Beijing tournament this time with the goal of breaking the national record for the half marathon (21 km).
According to Mnangat's explanation, although the three African athletes participated as individuals, their purpose was not to compete for achievements. Therefore, when Mnangat, Keter and Bikila approached the finish line, they completed their mission and let He Jie pass. Before that, the three athletes always kept a short distance from the 19th ASIAD champion.
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