The Cheating Twins of the Comrades Marathon

Source: NEWS24

Back in 1999, the Comrades Marathon in South Africa became famous not just for the race but for the drama involving the Motsoeneng twins, Sergio and Fika. During the grueling 89km run from Pietermaritzburg to Durban, these identical twins pulled off a wild stunt—swapping places mid-race to secure a spot in the top 10.

On race day, July 21, 1999, Sergio initially finished ninth, clocking in at 5:40:50. However, the cheers quickly turned into shock when he was disqualified after it was revealed they had cheated. The winner that year was Jaroslaw Janicki from Poland, who completed the race in 5:30:10.

The twins’ secret was exposed by ultramarathon veteran Nick Bester, who noticed something odd. Despite finishing ahead of him, Sergio never actually passed him during the race. After some digging, Bester discovered that the twins had cleverly used the race’s toilets to swap running vests, attempting to trick everyone into thinking they were running solo.

Photographic evidence showed inconsistencies, like different shoes and scars, which ultimately led to their disqualification. Sergio later said that poverty drove them to cheat, hoping for the prize money and recognition that came with a top finish.

Fast forward to today, at age 45, Sergio is a teacher and head of sports at a school in QwaQwa. He now runs for fun and coaches young athletes. He reflects on his past mistakes but has moved on, emphasizing that sometimes tough choices are made for personal reasons.

Though he has seven silver medals from the Comrades, he often thinks about how things could have been different if he hadn’t cheated. He faced a five-year ban for his actions in 1999 and another two years for a failed drug test in 2010, but now he focuses on inspiring the next generation of runners.