South African marathon man caught running as woman in Olympics news

Two female athletes initially failed to finish in the top 10 at the Two Oceans Marathon in Cape Town before a bib swap was discovered.

Two men have been disqualified from one of South Africa’s flagship marathons after finishing in the top 10 in the women’s marathon.

On April 12, two female runners at the Two Oceans Marathon in Cape Town initially failed to finish in the top ten after trying to exchange bibs with their runner’s identification numbers.

The annual Two Oceans Race is one of South Africa’s iconic marathon events, including a 56 km (34.7 mi) ultramarathon and a 21.1 km (13.1 mi) half marathon. The event attracts more than 16,000 participants, and finishing in the top ten is a significant achievement for most runners.

The duo of Luke Jacobs and Nick Bradfield finished seventh and 10th respectively. They were disqualified after a Marathon board member exposed the scam. The female athlete who was struck was later recognized for completing the race legally.

Two Oceans Marathon board member Stuart Mann said Jacobs and Bradfield would face disciplinary action by the marathon’s disciplinary subcommittee. Mann helped expose the cheating, which cast a pall on the performance of Honest Runners.

Exchanging bib numbers is unethical and risky

Mann said exchanging bibs with another marathon runner has become increasingly common, with far-reaching consequences.

“Not only is this considered unethical, but it also poses health and medical risks in an emergency because the wrong medication could be given to the wrong person,” Mann said.

Mann explained that there could be different motivations for exchanging numbers. For some, this is done to avoid losing money if they are injured or otherwise unable to compete for unexpected reasons. For others, cheating can get them faster times that can be used in qualifying for future races.

Internet photo leads to discovery and apology

Mann was notified of one of the exchanges after Jacobs posted a photo of himself on social media from the race and people noticed the name “Larissa” was written on his bib.

After further investigation, Mann learned that Jacobs entered the race using a bib number assigned to Larissa Parekh, who was registered to compete in the women’s race.

“I made a mistake in judgment and did not consider the consequences. I should not have participated,” Jacobs said in a written apology.

Jacobs and Bradfield were also tripped up by modern sports technology. Race officials watched as the first 10 women crossed the finish line, but data from the chip in their bibs showed that two other women also crossed the finish line, although officials did not observe them.

The discrepancy led to the revelation of Bradfield’s number contest with Tegan Garvey, who later admitted she had ditched her bib after developing a hip problem before the race.

“The day before, my hip gave out completely and I couldn’t even walk. I felt bad about quitting the race, so my friend raced in my place,” Garvey said.

Mann said Parekh had not given a clear explanation for his actions and both women had apologized and faced a two-year ban from the Two Oceans Marathon.