I Was Hired To Help Him- Kenyan Athlete On Why He Let Chinese Runner Win Race
Beijing Half Marathon organisers in China on Monday, April 15 launched an investigation into possible race fixing after a clip surfaced showing the three athletes deliberately slowing down to let Chinese counterpart He Jie break a national record.
Viral Tea Ke Writer 
Willy Mnangat, a Kenyan athlete, has responded to a controversy in the Beijing half marathon where three marathon runners including two Kenyan athletes appeared to allow a Chinese runner to win the marathon.
Beijing Half Marathon organisers in China on Monday, April 15 launched an investigation into possible race fixing after a clip surfaced showing the three athletes deliberately slowing down to let Chinese counterpart He Jie break a national record.
The Chinese national who is the 2023 Asian Games marathon gold medallist went on to win the race, with clips also showing him celebrating his victory by a second even though he was handed a visible advantage by his colleagues.
In what appeared to be a predetermined result, the two Kenyans and the Ethiopian national hugged He Jie and congratulated him after the deliberate slowdown towards the finish line. At one point, they had frantically waved him to overtake them as they headed towards the finish line.
Athletes in action at the Beijing Half Marathon held on April 14, 2024. /XINHUA.SHUTTERSTOCK
According to World Athletics, one of the Kenyans who deliberately sidestepped to let He Jie win is represented by a Chinese agent.
He Jie nonetheless faced criticism from his fans who noted that the win could ruin his athletics career. This is despite Chinese media celebrating him without mentioning the help he got from the three athletes.
Speaking to BBC Sport Africa, however, Mnangat defended Jie stating that he, Robert Keter and Dejene Hailu from Ethiopia were pacesetters in the race who were contracted to help Jie win the race and break the Chinese half-marathon record of 1:02:33.
This is despite only one out of the four pacesetters not making it to the finish line.
"I was not there to compete. It was not a competitive race for me. My job was to set the pace and help the guy win, but unfortunately, he did not achieve the target, which was to break the national record," Mnangat responded.
"I don't know why they put my name on my bib/chest number instead of labelling it as a pacemaker."
The Kenyan athlete attributed his longstanding friendship with Jie as another reason for letting him win.
“He comes to Kenya and I was pacing for him in the Wuxi Marathon, so he is my friend, OK,” Mnangat added.
A spokesperson at the Beijing Sports Bureau told AFP they were investigating the incident, adding: "We will announce the results to the public once they are available."
Xstep, a Chinese sports brand that sponsored the event and has a contract with He, told Chinese state-owned The Paper, that the situation was still being confirmed and verified by multiple parties and that further information would be communicated as soon as possible.
World Athletics on its part stated that it was aware of the footage circulating online from the Beijing half marathon during this past weekend and understands an investigation is currently being conducted by the relevant local authorities.
"The integrity of our sport is the highest priority at World Athletics, while this investigation is ongoing we are unable to provide further comment," the athletics body stated.
