Bizarre video footage captured the moment three East African runners appeared to wave a Chinese athlete ahead of them during the Beijing Half Marathon on Sunday, allowing him to win first place.
Chinese distance runner He Jie crossed the finish line a mere second ahead of Ethiopian Dejene Hailu Bikila and Kenyans Robert Keter and Willy Mgnangat, video taken during the final hundred yards of the race revealed.
Footage of the strange race’s final moments shows the three African runners clumped together, seemingly slowing down on purpose.
One of the men can then be seen extending his arm outward as if signaling for the other two to remain behind him and allow He to pass.
All four then race alongside each other before He crosses the finish line first.
He won the 2024 Beijing Half Marathon on Sunday with a time of 1:03:44, while the three other men tied for second with a time of 1:03:45.
The three other runners can later be seen congratulating He, who is regarded as one of China’s top runners.
“I have never participated in a half marathon before, so this time I wanted to set a personal best [performance],” He told reporters after the race, according to Global Times.
He noted that he considered the event a training session ahead of the upcoming Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, which will be held from July 26 to August 11.
“Now I am fully preparing for the Paris Olympics; please believe in Chinese athletes. I hope to showcase Chinese speed in Paris and let the world see the Chinese speed,” He said.
The event coordinators have not commented on whether the African runners purposefully allowed He to prevail ahead of them.
