• Football
  • Boxing
  • UFC
  • Home
  • Football
    • England
    • Transfer News
    • Premier League
    • Champions League
    • Lionel Messi
    • Cristiano Ronaldo
    • EA FC 25
    • Wrexham
  • Boxing
    • Tyson Fury
    • Anthony Joshua
    • Oleksandr Usyk
    • Mike Tyson
    • Jake Paul
    • Logan Paul
  • UFC
    • Dana White
    • Conor McGregor
    • Khabib Nurmagomedov
    • Jon Jones
    • Paddy Pimblett
    • Joe Rogan
  • Other Sport
    • Athletics
    • Formula 1
    • MMA
    • Motorsport
    • NBA
    • Darts
    • NFL
    • Snooker
    • Wrestling
    • Tennis
    • Cricket
    • Golf
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • UNILAD
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube
Beijing half marathon under investigation after bizarre finish leads to 'embarrassing' result

Home> Athletics

Published 15:42 15 Apr 2024 GMT+1

Beijing half marathon under investigation after bizarre finish leads to 'embarrassing' result

The race is under investigation after a controversial ending.

Alex Brotherton

Alex Brotherton

Organisers of the Beijing Half Marathon have launched an investigation after a bizarre incident led to an 'embarrassing' finish to the race.

China's He Jie won the Beijing Half Marathon on Sunday, finishing one second ahead of Ethiopia's Dejene Hailu and Kenyan runners Robert Keter and Willy Mnangat, who tied in second place.

He - who won gold in the marathon at the 2023 Asian Games and is China's marathon record holder - officially completed the the 13.1 mile course in 01:03:44.

Advert

However, footage of the final moments of the race have coursed quite a stir in the world of Athletics and on Chinese social media.

As He, Hailu, Keter and Mnangat approached the finish line, the three African competitors appeared to deliberately allow the Chinese runner to win the race.

Footage shows the three African men pointing to the finish line before they appear to slow down and He overtakes them.

Advert

The three men looked more than capable of beating He to the ribbon, but they stayed together and before congratulating him at the finish line.

A spokesperson for the Beijing Sports Bureau told AFP: "We are investigating and will announce the results to the public once they are available."

Event organiser the Beijing Sports Competition Management and International Exchange Center confirmed that an investigation had been launched.


Advert

World Athletics - the international body of track and field events - is also investigating the incident.

"The integrity of our sport is the highest priority at World Athletics, while this investigation is ongoing we are unable to provide further comment," Director of Communications Jamie Fox told AFP, via Yahoo News.

The runners were heavily criticised by users of the Chinese social media site Weibo.

"This will certainly be the most embarrassing championship in He Jie's career," one user wrote, while another commented: "With such a major organiser and such a well-known event, this really pushes sportsmanship to the ground in shame."

Advert

According to World Athletics, Mnangat is represented by a Chinese agent Karen Lin. Lin represents 32 runners, most of whom are Kenyan.

Featured Image Credit: Getty

Topics: Athletics, Olympics

Alex Brotherton
Alex Brotherton

Alex Brotherton is a journalist at SPORTbible. He has previously worked with publications including the Manchester Evening News, GOAL and BBC Sport. He is a football fanatic, but also dabbles in tennis and American football. He can often be found watching dreadful non-league football.

X

@alex_brotherton

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

21 hours ago
a day ago
2 days ago
  • World Athletics
    21 hours ago

    Oblique Seville Wins World 100m Title With Stunning Time as Bolt Prediction Comes True

    Seville won Jamaica's first world crown since 2015 in Tokyo.

    Athletics
  • Getty
    a day ago

    Noah Lyles Brutally Calls Out 100m Rival With ‘Panic’ Comment

    Noah Lyles made a brutal comment in his post-race interview after winning his 100m heat at the World Athletics Championships.

    Athletics
  • YouTube/@MotionAthlete
    2 days ago

    3D Simulation Shows What Would Happen in 100m iShowSpeed and Tyreek Hill Race

    Speed has claimed he wants to qualify for the 2028 Olympics - but how would he fare against the NFL's fastest star?

    Athletics
  • Getty Images
    2 days ago

    Noah Lyles to Pocket Staggering Bonus if He Breaks Usain Bolt Record

    Lyles will attempt to break Bolt's records at the World Athletics Championship in Tokyo

    Athletics
  • Olympic Athlete Stripped of Medal After Infamous 'Dirtiest Race' Scandal
  • What happens when two Olympic athletes hold hands to finish race may surprise fans
  • US Sprint Star Hit With Four-Year Ban After Usain Bolt Tipped Him For Greatness
  • Former Olympic champion showed up at her son's sports day race and the result was incredible