Sports

Brooks Ends Sponsorship of Chinese Influencer After Bike Incident in Berlin Marathon

By Today News Hours Editorial Desk

Sun Yuanyuan, a Chinese fitness influencer known as Abeeeer on social media, was dropped by her sponsor after admitting she rode a bicycle during the Berlin Marathon. The race, held in September, saw Sun claim a personal best, but an Instagram account dedicated to monitoring race times posted a photo that appeared to show her on a bicycle between the 35‑km and 40‑km marks. Sun apologized on the Chinese platform Rednote, stating she had broken the rules and that her attempt to take a shortcut was disrespectful to the competition. She also admitted to deliberately concealing the incident and expressed deep guilt. Brooks, the running‑shoe company, confirmed to BBC News that it had terminated its sponsorship of Sun. The company said it values integrity, fairness and respect in running, and that it had verified the facts before ending the relationship. Sun’s finish time was disqualified by the marathon organisers. The Instagram account, the Official Marathon Time Integrity Unit (OMTIU), also posted a grid of Sun’s split times, showing a speed increase between the 35‑km and 40‑km marks that coincided with the alleged bike ride. OMTIU was created to expose GPS‑based fabrication, selective Strava displays and false personal‑record claims among marathon runners, particularly fitness influencers. BBC News has contacted the Berlin Marathon for comment.