After a grueling hour, there was little to separate the four runners as the finish line approached. But then, one extended his hand toward another and gestured, as if waving him forward. Seconds later, another runner did the same.
China’s He Jie then strode ahead of the others, a recorded livestream of Sunday’s Beijing Half Marathon shows. The other three runners — Willy Mnangat and Robert Keter from Kenya, and Dejene Hailu from Ethiopia — fell into place just behind him, following from a short distance as He claimed first place.
The results of the half-marathon are now under investigation by the race’s organizers, after footage of the finish circulated online and led many to question whether the three African runners had deliberately slowed down.