Topline
Chinese runner He Jie and three others have been stripped of their medals and awards as top finishers in last week’s Beijing half-marathon after an investigation found the other three runners deliberately slowed down to allow He to finish ahead of them in first place—though it may have been caused by an error by an event sponsor.
China's He Jie reacts as he crosses the finish line to win the men's marathon at the 19th Asian ... [+]
Key Facts
The controversial ending to the race was caught in a viral video that appeared to show runners Dejene Hailu Bikila of Ethiopia and Robert Keter and Willy Mnangat of Kenya slowing down and waving for He to pass them as they approached the finish line.
The Beijing Half-Marathon Organizing Committee conducted an investigation into the race following questions raised by the video, ultimately finding the three races did deliberately slow to allow He to pass, stripping all of them of their trophies, medals and awards while reporting the runners to the China Athletics Association.
But the statement from the committee placed blame on Xtep, a Chinese sports equipment manufacturer, sponsored of the event and a sponsor of He, claiming the company failed to properly register four runners—including Bikila, Keter and Mnangat—as non-competing “pacer” runners, causing them to be mistakenly listed as competitors.
As a result of the investigation, Xtep has been disqualified as a partner for the Beijing Half-Marathon and the race’s operator, the Zhongao Luapao Beijing Sports Management Company was also disqualified from hosting and operating the event.
Forbes did not immediately hear back from Xtep, but in a statement to multiple media outlets, the company said it bears “great responsibility” for the situation and would “fully accept the penalties imposed by the organizing committee.”
Immediately following the race, Mnangat told media outlets he let He win the race “because he is my friend,” but he later told the BBC he was hired to set a pace for He to try and break the Chinese half-marathon record, claiming: “I was not there to compete.”
Who Is He Jie?
He is China’s top-ranked long-distance runner with a long list of accomplishments, having broken a nearly two-decade-old marathon record last year before breaking his own record months later, according to the Wall Street Journal. The Journal also reported He has Olympic aspirations and told the media after the race last week he viewed it as training for this year’s games in Paris. Xtep has sponsored He since 2021.
Key Background
Long-distance running has become a more popular sport in recent years in China, but the sport has been scrutinized there before. In 2018, 258 runners in the Shenzhen half-marathon were caught cheating in a variety of ways—from wearing fake bibs to taking shortcuts.
