Kenyan Runners Caught in Beijing Half Marathon Scandal: Alleged Chinese Operative Manipulates Races Since 2019
An extensive inquiry into the Beijing Half Marathon revealed the possibility of a Chinese operative leveraging Kenyan runners to manipulate races dating back to 2019.
This occurred following the circulation of comparable videos showing various Kenyans intentionally stumbling just moments before reaching the finish line.
An examination of Kenyan runners who haven’t clinched victory in the Beijing Half Marathon, despite their race dominance, reveals that they are all under the representation of a single agent located in Mainland China.
This inquiry was initiated following reports that two Kenyan individuals, Willy Mnangat and Robert Keter, allegedly conspired to let Chinese national He Jie win the half marathon held on Sunday, April 14th.
In 2019, there was a comparable occurrence when two Kenyan runners, Silas Kimeli Too, and Daniel Kiprop, seemed to deliberately allow China’s Liu Hongliang to claim victory in the race.
In the video currently being scrutinized, Too and Kiprop took the lead at the beginning of the race, but just a few kilometers before the finish line, they allowed Liu to pass them.
Although passing other competitors is permitted in all racing competitions, what drew attention was Liu’s action immediately after overtaking them: he placed his right hand behind his back and gestured with two fingers.
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Right after the signal, the two runners kept a consistent gap between them and Liu, ensuring that the Chinese athlete secured victory in the half marathon with a two-second margin.
This purported race manipulation resulted in Liu securing a gold medal, following an unsuccessful attempt in 2018.
The assertion that Kenyan athletes were involved in the race solely as pacemakers has been disproven, as they did not explicitly designate themselves as such before or during the event.
In both the 2019 and 2024 occurrences, every Kenyan athlete was observed donning both their attire and race bibs.
In an ideal scenario, individuals setting the pace are typically not permitted to don race bibs. Presently, Kenyan athletes are expressing confusion as to why they were assigned these bibs.
Furthermore, in each instance, the Kenyan athletes were awarded silver and bronze medals, a recognition typically not granted to pacesetters.
This has given rise to speculation that the Chinese agent might be taking advantage of the lack of knowledge among certain Kenyan athletes, compensating them with a pacer fee but withholding the prize money for themselves.
Kenyan Runners Caught in Beijing Half Marathon Scandal: Alleged Chinese Operative Manipulates Races Since 2019
