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In a strange Video footage, three East African runners were wavin to 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 just one second ahead of Ethiopian Dejene Hailu Bikila and Kenyans Robert Keeter and Willy Mgnangat, according to a video clip taken during the last 100 meters of the race.
Circulating footage shows the three African contestants huddled together, and they appear to be slowing down on purpose. While one of them can be seen extending his arm as if he was signaling to the other two to stay behind him and allow the Chinese to pass.
The four then race side by side, before Hee Ji crosses the finish line first.
He Jie won the 2024 Beijing Half Marathon with a time of 1:03:44, while the other three men tied for second place with a time of 1:03:45.
He Jie, said after the race: "I had never participated in a half marathon before, so this time I wanted to achieve a personal best.". He added: "Now I am fully preparing for the Paris Olympics 2024 in August, please believe in the Chinese athletes. I hope to show Chinese speed in Paris and let the world see what we can do."
The event coordinators did not comment on whether the African runners deliberately allowed the Chinese star to outpace them.
Source: Global Times - Published date: 15-4-2024 - https://r.rtarabic.com/xcuc