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Three runners have been stripped of Beijing half-marathon medals for intentionally slowing to let another competitor win.
Two Kenyan runners and an Ethiopian counterpart have been stripped of their medals following a controversial end to the Beijing Half-Marathon this past Sunday.
The trio, who were initially celebrated as the runners-up, faced disqualification after an investigation revealed that they had deliberately slowed down to allow Chinese athlete He Jie to secure first place.
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He Jie crossed the finish line with a time of 1:03.44, ahead of the Ethiopian Dejene Hailu Bikila and Kenyans Robert Keter and Willy Mnangat, who finished joint second.
However, the joy was short-lived as the race's organizing committee decided to cancel their results upon uncovering the pacemaking strategy.
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In a statement, the committee explained that the three African runners "actively slowed down in the last two kilometers," directly influencing the race's outcome. As a consequence, "trophies, medals, and bonuses will be recovered," the statement added.
Mnangat later disclosed that their role was to act as pacemakers for He, aiming to help him break the Chinese half-marathon record of 1:02:33—a goal that remained unmet.
"I was not there to compete. It was not a competitive race for me," Mnangat stated.
"I don’t know why they put my name on my bib/chest number instead of labelling it as a pacemaker."
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The oversight was attributed to Xiamen Xtep Investment, a partner of the event’s organizer, Zhongao Lupao Beijing Sports Management.
The company admitted to failing to notify the organizing committee about the pacers' roles.
"Our company has unshirkable responsibility and would like to express our sincere apologies to all runners," an Xtep spokesperson said.
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