Chinese fitness influencer and runner Sun Yuanyuan has gone viral for all the wrong reasons after she was caught riding on the back of a bicycle during the Berlin Marathon, turning what was supposed to be a personal-best achievement into a controversy over honesty and sportsmanship.
Sun, who is better known as “Abeeeer” on the Chinese social media platform RedNote, initially celebrated completing the September 27 Berlin Marathon in 4 hours, 53 minutes and 46 seconds. She presented the performance as a personal best and shared pictures from the race, including images with her finisher’s medal. She has more than 520,000 followers on RedNote.
However, the result soon came under scrutiny after the Official Marathon Time Integrity Unit (OMTIU), an account that monitors suspicious marathon performances, published a photograph appearing to show Sun sitting on the back of a bicycle during the race. The image was reportedly taken around the 38-kilometre mark, just a few kilometres from the finish.
SUN’S 35KM-40KM SPLIT RAISED QUESTIONS
The timing data made the incident even more conspicuous. Sun’s split between 35km and 40km was 30 minutes and 49 seconds, or roughly 6:10 per kilometre. That was her fastest five-kilometre section of the race, despite her pace having slowed considerably earlier in the second half. The unusually quick split coincided with the section where she was photographed on the bicycle.
The discovery prompted further scrutiny, and Sun eventually admitted that she had broken the rules. In an apology posted on RedNote, she said she had been feeling physically unwell during the race but acknowledged that this was not an excuse for what she did.
“I won’t make any excuses for this behaviour. I was feeling physically unwell on the course, [but] that is absolutely not an excuse for breaking the rules. My attempt to take a shortcut was disrespectful to the fairness of the competition and the spirit of the marathon,” Sun wrote.
She also admitted that she had deliberately concealed what happened when discussing her race afterwards and said she felt “deeply guilty” about it.
Her admission had immediate consequences. Sun’s Berlin Marathon result was disqualified, while Brooks China, which had a sponsorship relationship with her, terminated its partnership after verifying the incident.
Brooks told BBC News that running should be based on “integrity, fairness, and respect for competition” and said it had ended its relationship with Sun after confirming the facts.
What began as a claimed personal-best marathon has therefore become a very different story. Sun’s bicycle ride near the finish has sparked a wider conversation about competitive integrity, particularly when social-media personalities turn sporting achievements into public content. In marathon running, every kilometre counts and Sun’s unusual shortcut ultimately cost her far more than a finishing time.
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