He Jie, the 2023 Asian Games marathon gold medalist, won by a second after his rivals appeared to slow down towards the finish line.
The first three runners in the Beijing half-marathon on Sunday were stripped of their medals, organizers announced on Friday, following an investigation into the controversial finish which saw the victory of Chinese He Jie.
In a bizarre end to the race, He Jie crossed the finish line first after being allowed to pass easily and even encouraged by compatriots Robert Keter, Willy Mnangat (Kenya) and Dejene Hailu (Ethiopia).
Footage of the race’s conclusion went viral and sparked criticism over the fairness of the outcome.
July 4, 2014 is a day of celebration.示意队友减速。最终，何杰在默契中完成反超，以一冠。
这一戏剧性画面引发大众质疑。… pic.twitter.com/dRWxbBcIhB– 李老师不是你老师 (@whyyoutouzhele) April 14, 2024
“Today, the 2024 Beijing Half Marathon Organizing Committee issued a decision on the investigation and handling of the results of the men’s race,” state media said on Friday.
He adds: “Trophies, medals and bonuses will be recovered. »
The four runners remained united for most of the course (21 kilometers) in the streets of the Chinese capital.
But he, a gold medalist in the 2023 Asian Games marathon, won by a second after his rivals appeared to slow down towards the finish line and waved him ahead.
All four were “punished” and their results annulled, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported.
Mnangat told the BBC that the African trio were pacemakers, even though their bibs did not say so.
The investigation into the race found that Mnangat, Keter and Hailu had not been properly registered as pacemakers for He, so their actions at the finish line broke competition rules.
“Embarrassing result”
Officials from the Chinese Athletics Association met earlier this week and pledged in a statement to make improvements to the sport in the country.
Sunday’s incident received particular attention on Chinese social media site Weibo, with some users criticizing what they saw as an “embarrassing” outcome.
“This will definitely be the most embarrassing championship of He Jie’s career,” one wrote.
“With such a major organizer and such a well-known event, this really drives the spirit of sportsmanship to the ground, to shame,” the post said.
Long-distance running and marathons have boomed in recent years among China’s middle class, but there have been widespread cases of cheating and poor organization.
In 2018, at a half marathon in the southern city of Shenzhen, 258 runners cheated, many of whom took shortcuts.
Traffic cameras filmed them running through the trees to join another part of the race.
In 2019, a woman was filmed riding a green rental bike during the Xuzhou International Marathon in eastern China.
Race officials ordered him to get off the bike and then get back on.
