Following a recent investigation, the top four finishers of the Beijing Half Marathon have been stripped of their medals due to allegations of race manipulation. The incident occurred during last Sunday's race, where Chinese runner He Jie claimed the gold medal and a $5,500 prize after three African runners deliberately slowed down near the finish line.
A video clip of the finish showed Kenya's Willy Mnangat gesturing for He to move ahead, while former 5km world record holder Robert Keter appeared to signal for his compatriot and Ethiopia's Dejene Hailu to hang back. This controversial tactic sparked outrage in China, leading to calls for an investigation.
In response to the incident, the organizing committee announced that the results of all four runners have been revoked, and their trophies, medals, and bonuses will be withdrawn. The three African runners, who were initially invited to join the race as pacemakers by Chinese sports company Xtep, were found to have actively slowed down in the final kilometers, allowing He Jie to secure the victory.
The committee also took action against Xtep for failing to disclose the trio as pacemakers to the race operator, resulting in the disqualification of the operator from hosting future events and a ban on Xtep from sponsoring races this season.
In a statement, Xtep expressed sincere apologies for the incident and accepted the punishment decision made by the organizing committee. The company vowed to conduct a thorough review to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
He Jie, the Chinese runner at the center of the controversy, is known for breaking China's marathon record and is considered a promising long-distance runner. Ranked 74th in the world in the men's marathon by World Athletics, He is expected to represent Asian runners at the upcoming Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.
