Why Yield Just Before the Finish Line... Host Nation Suspected of Favoritism in Chinese Marathon

Chinese player He Jie wins first place in half marathon
Foreign runners ahead gesture as if telling him to go first

Last weekend, at a half marathon held in Beijing, China, controversy arose after foreign runners appeared to yield the victory to a Chinese athlete.

On the 15th (local time), foreign media including CNN reported that on the 14th, at the Beijing Half Marathon held in Beijing, China, Chinese runner He Jie won with a time of 1 hour 3 minutes and 44 seconds. He Jie is the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games gold medalist. Last month, he set a new Chinese record by finishing a full marathon in Wuxi in 2 hours 6 minutes and 57 seconds, and he is aiming to compete in the Paris Olympics this summer.

Foreign players gesturing to Chinese players.
[Image source=Ex(X)]

This was He Jie's first time participating in a half marathon. However, many people found his victory suspicious. This is because African runners who were ahead appeared to gesture to He Jie to go ahead just before the finish line.

Videos posted on social media platforms such as X show that Kenyan runners Robert Keter and Willie Nganga, and Ethiopian runner Dejene Bikila slowed down when they saw He Jie approaching near the finish line. These three runners finished exactly one second behind He Jie, sharing second place.

A Chinese netizen commented, "He Jie ran hard to win, but the foreign runners did not seem to want to compete." Another netizen posted, "If you want to report match-fixing, should you go to the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (the highest disciplinary body of the Chinese Communist Party)?"

In response to the controversy, Nganga, who completed the marathon, told the Hong Kong South China Morning Post (SCMP), "Because we are friends, I let He Jie win," but added, "I was not instructed to do so, nor was there any monetary compensation."

The Beijing Sports Bureau, which organized the event, stated that it is conducting a thorough investigation. Beijing authorities told NBC News, "The results of the investigation into this highly publicized matter will be made public immediately." Additionally, Xstep, a Chinese sports company sponsoring He Jie and China's half marathon, said, "The matter is being investigated and verified by multiple parties," and "Additional information will be provided as soon as possible."