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The Beijing Half Marathon has been rocked by a scandal after race officials stripped the top three finishers of their medals following an investigation into a controversial finish.
Video footage circulating online appeared to show Kenyan athletes Robert Keter and Willy Mnangat, along with Ethiopia’s Dejene Hailu, slowing down near the finish line and gesturing for China’s He Jie, a rising star, to pass them. He, 25, crossed the line a mere second ahead of the trio, who were initially awarded a joint second-place finish.
The result sparked immediate criticism on Chinese social media, with many questioning the legitimacy of He’s victory. The Beijing Sports Bureau responded swiftly, launching an investigation and vowing to make their findings public. Sponsors and He himself remained silent throughout the controversy.
Adding further weight to the allegations, World Athletics, the international governing body for the sport, confirmed their awareness of the video and pledged to monitor the local investigation closely.
“The integrity of our sport is paramount,” a spokesperson declared, emphasizing their inability to comment further while the probe was ongoing.
The investigation culminated in a dramatic turn of events. All three African athletes, initially suspected of deliberately conceding the race to He, were disqualified. However, their claims of acting as pacemakers fell short as race organizers found no official registration for them in that capacity. This, according to the committee, constituted a violation of competition rules. As a consequence, medals, trophies, and any associated bonuses were revoked.
Chinese state media reported that all four runners, including He, faced penalties with their results being erased. The incident also prompted the Chinese Athletics Association to announce efforts aimed at improving the organization of future road running events in the country.
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