Beijing Half Marathon under suspicion of rigging: watch what happens in the final stretch

He Jie’s victory as the men’s winner of the 2024 Beijing Half Marathon has been tainted with controversy. A video going around of the end of the race appears to show three African runners around him waving him to pass and slowing down so that he finishes just one second before them. The 25-year-old Chinese man finished with a time of 1 hour, 3 minutes, and 44 seconds with Ethiopian Dejene Bikila and Kenyans Robert Keter and Willy Mnangat just behind him.

The race organizers are now investigating the incident and said they will update the public as they progress. After the race, He told the press that he “was not in my best competitive state”, but did not address the controversial incident. Mnangat, however, did admit to allowing him to win, telling the South China Morning Post he did so “because he is my friend” and that he and Keter and Bikila were only there to help pace him, not to compete.

“I don’t know why they put my name on my bib/chest number instead of labeling it as a pacemaker,” Mnangat told the BBC. “My job was to set the pace and help the guy win but unfortunately, he did not achieve the target, which was to break the national record.”

The Beijing Sports Bureau is currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident. World Athletics released this statement: “We are aware of the footage circulating online from the Beijing half marathon this weekend and understand an investigation is currently being conducted by the relevant local authorities. The integrity of our sport is the highest priority at World Athletics, while this investigation is ongoing we are unable to provide further comment.”