An investigation has been launched into the Beijing half-marathon after a Chinese runner barely edged out three Africans to the finish line.
African trio Willy Mnangat (Kenya), Robert Keter (Kenya) and Dejene Hailu Bikila (Ethiopia) had opened up a gap of a few hundred metres on Chinese athlete He Jie, who – surprisingly, some might say – powered through the final stretch to overtake all of them.
So now why would anyone question the integrity of this incredible sporting moment? Is there some racial stereotyping at play? Can’t a Chinese man run faster than three Africans who are already a few hundred metres ahead of him?
Well, it’s probably more to do with the footage where they blatantly slow down to a leisurely stroll, allow He Jie to run past them, and basically couldn’t have made it more obvious that something was up:
OK lads, what's going on here? Three Kenyan athletes who were in the lead letting Chinese runner He Jie win the race during the Beijing Half Marathon on Apr 14, 2024 pic.twitter.com/yhmEjYtIFm
— 𝔏𝔯𝔯𝔯 (@coldplague) April 15, 2024
When quizzed by the South China Morning Post, Mnangat said he let He Jie win the race ‘because he is my friend’, which doesn’t really make sense, because surely he’s closer friends with the two dudes he was running with who are both from the same part of the world as him, rather than some random Chinese guy who lives on the other side of the planet. But hey, I guess it’s possible they’ve formed a deep connection in the short time they’ve known each other in Beijing.
My favourite part is that once they’ve all crossed the finish line, He Jie is doubled over gasping for air while the African dudes look like they’re only just warming up. Maybe they could all fake a cramp next time to make it more realistic?
