Beijing Half Marathon RIGGED? African athlete blows whistle on China, says 'I wasn't there to win'

The Beijing Half Marathon has been riddled with controversy as African athlete has confirmed that four athletes were contacted prior to the marathon to help China's He Jie emerge victorious and break the national record. 

The Beijing Half Marathon which took place on Sunday, 14th April saw star Chinese runner He Jie emerge victorious. 

But in a dramatic turn of events one of the participants in the marathon, Kenya's Willy Mnangat has blown the whistle on the marathon's result. The athlete confirmed to the BBC that four African Athletes were contacted before the marathon to help China's He Jie register his victory as pacemakers. 

Race Result under the scanner

He Jie's win on Sunday was soon shrouded in controversy as organisers launched an investigation into the race result after a controversial ending. 

The three African and one Chinese athlete are being investigated by organisers Beijing Sports Bureau for rigging the results of the marathon.  

The investigation comes after a footage seemed to suggest that Ethiopia's Dejene Hailu, Kenya's Robert Keter and Willy Mnangat slowed down towards the end and pointed towards the line to allow He Jie overtake them and win the marathon. 

In the video it is apparent that the athletes did slow down and after crossing the finish line were seem congratulating He Jie in an odd manner. 

Mnangat blows the whistle

He Jie finished the marathon with a time of 1 hour 3 minutes and 44 seconds and failed to break the Chinese half marathon record by one minute. 

But the BBC reported that Kenya's Willy Mnangat confirmed to the media outlet that the trio were tasked to run as pacemakers. In a further revelation he confirmed that four runners were tasked to help the He Jie break the record but that didn't materialise. 

“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”, said Mnangat to BBC. 

Mnangat further addressed concern to BBC over why his name/number was on his bib rather than simply saying pacemaker. 

“I don’t know why they put my name on my bib/chest number instead of labelling it as a pacemaker”, said the Kenyan runner. 

World Athletics in Turmoil

These recent allegations have sent the World of Athletics in a bit of turmoil as it a huge stain on the integrity of sport. 

The organisers of the Beijing Half Marathon have confirmed that they are investigating the situation completely, and will confirm the marathon results after a thorough investigation is concluded. 

He Jie's career has been tainted as well as Social Media users in China and his fans have confirmed the title as a complete and utter embarrassment.