Cheaters

On February 4, 2021, I wrote a blog post titled RealHero.  I had described how a Spanish cross-country runner helped a Kenyan runner (who was leading the race but not know where the finish line was) to win the race.  The Spanish runner could have won by overtaking him.  But he did not do that.

Here is just an opposite incident.

Year 1999.  Comrades Marathon is a grueling ultramarathon race.  The distance is 90 kilometers (56.1 miles).  It is held in South Africa.  More than 20,000 people start but 95% of them could not finish.

Here comes our friend Sergio Motsoeneng.  He is from an impoverished Central Eastern South Africa.  He came is 8^th and won US$1,000.  Fellow Runner Nick Bester complained he never saw Sergio passed him in the final stretch.  The race officials dismissed that charge.

But a reporter for the African newspaper The Beeld decided to investigate it.  He looked at several photographs.   Finally discovered the runner had his watch in his right wrist in some photos and in different photos his watch was in his left wrist.  Also, he had a scar on his left shin and in other photos there was no scar.

It turned out the runner Sergio has an identical twin brother.  They both switched running the race every 10 kilometer.  One would duck into a porta-potty and his identical twin brother would be waiting there inside.  Then the other guy would run 10 kilometers and switch places.  Sergio removed his shirt, bib, hat, and even shoes, and gave them to his brother, who continued the race.

They were caught.  Money was taken away from them.  They were banned for 5 years from competing in any race.

They said poverty was their reason for cheating.

Nice way to Beg

 

What a Way to Win

November 19, 1999. The TV contest: Who Wants to be a Millionaire. Host: Regis Philbin. Contestant: John Carpenter. He won. 

John did not just win the game, he won it with style. He was the first-ever to reach the million-dollar question. There were several lifelines. He did not use any lifelines. But during the very last question, he called his father. 

During the last question, Regis Philbin asked the following question: 

Which of these U.S. presidents appeared on the television series Laugh-In? 

A. Lyndon Johnson 

B. Richard Nixon 

C. Jimmy Carter 

D. Gerald Ford 

He saw the question. Just smiled and called his father for help. When his dad answered the call, the host gave the question to John’s dad and passed the call to John. Here is the conversation between John and his dad. 

John: Hi dad. 

Dad: Hi. 

John: I don’t really need your help. I just want to let you know that I’m going to win the million dollars. Because the President that appeared in Laugh-In is Richard Nixon and that’s my final answer.

John got the right answer in the best possible way. He got to the million-dollar question without using any lifelines, only using it to tell his dad that he knew that answer all along. He’s the first-ever to win the game to top it all off. 

What a way to win.