Bizarre video footage captured the moment three East African runners appeared on Sunday to wave down a Chinese athlete ahead of them at the Beijing Half Marathon, allowing him to take first place.
Chinese long-distance runner He Jie crossed the finish line just one second ahead of Ethiopian Dejene Hailu Bikila and Kenyans Robert Keter and Willy Mgnangat, a video taken during the last hundred meters of the race showed.
Images of the final moments of this strange race show the three African runners grouped together, appearing to slow down voluntarily.
One of the men can then be seen extending his arm outwards as if to signal the other two to stay behind him and allow him to pass.
All four then run side by side before he crosses the finish line first.
He won the 2024 Beijing Half Marathon on Sunday with a time of 1:03:44, while the other three men finished tied for second with a time of 1:03:45.
The other three runners can then be seen congratulating He, who is considered one of China’s best runners.
“I have never participated in a half marathon before, so this time I wanted to set a personal best,” he told reporters after the race, according to the Global Times.
He said he viewed the event as a training session for the upcoming Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, which will be held from July 26 to August 11.
“Now I am fully preparing for the Paris Olympics; please believe in Chinese athletes. I hope to introduce Chinese speed to Paris and show the world Chinese speed,” he said.
Event coordinators did not say whether the African runners had deliberately allowed He to win in front of them.
New York Post
