Half Marathon Under Investigation as Runners Act Strangely

(TotalConservative.com) – A half-marathon in China is coming under intense international scrutiny after video from the event seemingly indicated that three African runners slowed down to allow a Chinese athlete the first place finish on April 14.

The footage from Sunday’s race revealed Kenyan runner Willy Mnangat looking at Chinese runner He Jie and pointing toward the finish line shortly before the Chinese gold medalist passed Mnangat, Ethiopian runner Dejene Hailu, and fellow Kenyan runner Robert Keter.

The threesome held a stark lead on He Jie of over a hundred meters which they did not attempt to retake after he had passed them. The three African men all tied for second place with He Jie taking the first place award.

Mnangat later told reporters with The South China Morning Post that he allowed He Jie to win due to their friendship. Beijing Sports Competition Management and International Exchange Center, the organizing entity, will investigate the situation due to the amount of viral attention and international embarrassment over the event.

The Beijing Sports Bureau said they were also investigating and would eventually publish the results.

He Jie, 25, is on China’s marathon team and is national record holder for marathons. He has not given public comment about the situation. He’s largely anticipated to compete in the Summer Olympics this year in Paris.

Author Mark Dreyer writes about sports and competition in China. He called the situation “extremely odd,” in public comments posted to X. Given the communication between the men as they approached the finish line, Dreyer suggested the outcome was prearranged.

Chinese sports commentators also suggested the race was rigged with one asking what the point of having a first place is if the men won’t genuinely compete.

Hu Xijin is a Chinese sports commentator who suggested the skepticism was legitimate given the video. He added that the people were right to suggest that rigging the outcomes of sports contests like this completely invalidates their purpose.