Two Kenyan athletes under investigation for "gifting" Chinese runner win in Beijing

Two Kenyan runners - Robert Keter and Willy Mangat - are among a trio of athletes who are under investigation after they appeared to deliberately allow China’s He Jie win Sunday’s Beijing Half Marathon.

The other athlete also involved in the incident that was caught on video as the duo approached the finish line is Dejene Hailu of Ethiopia.

He, the 2023 Asian Games marathon gold medallist, won by one second.

The four had stuck together throughout the course of just over 13 miles (21 kilometers), a broadcaster noted.

"We are investigating and will announce the results to the public once they are available," a person from the Beijing Sports Bureau, who wished to remain anonymous, said.

The event's organizer -- the Beijing Sports Competition Management and International Exchange Center -- also said an investigation had been launched.

The incident received significant attention on Chinese social media site Weibo, with some users criticizing what they saw as an "embarrassing" result.

"This will certainly be the most embarrassing championship in He Jie's career," one wrote.

"With such a major organizer and such a well-known event, this really pushes sportsmanship to the ground in shame," the post added.

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Long-distance running has boomed in recent years among China's middle class, but there have been numerous instances of cheating and poor organization.

In 2018, at a half-marathon in the southern city of Shenzhen, 258 runners were found to have cheated, including many who took shortcuts.

Traffic cameras caught them darting through trees to join a different part of the race.

In 2019 a woman was filmed riding a green-colored rental bike in the Xuzhou International Marathon in eastern China.

She was ordered by race officials to dismount the bike, only to get back on again afterwards.

Additional reporting by AFP.