The Ghost Runner: The Story of the Athlete Who Ran with Two Bodies
In sports, we're always looking for ways to improve performance. Whether it's with cutting-edge running shoes, aerodynamic clothing, or supplements like energy gels and ketones. But there's also another, more blurred line: shortcuts, cheating, doping... just like in the era of Lance Armstrong and EPO.
However, there is one case that surpasses any form of conventional cheating. A story that seems like something out of a movie, but actually happened in real life.
We go to South Africa, in 1999. On the starting line of the Comrades Marathon , one of the toughest ultramarathons in the world with a 90-kilometer course, a 19-year-old named Sergio Motsoeneng was about to make history... but not for the reasons everyone expected.
The surprise runner
It was his first time running the Comrades, a brutal race that tests the endurance of the world's best long-distance runners. But against all odds, Motsoeneng crossed the finish line in ninth place , an extraordinary feat for a debutant.
She received a prize of 6,000 rand (about 1,200 euros at the time) and quickly became the event's big surprise. However, something wasn't right.
Veteran marathoner Nick Bester , who had won the race three years earlier and finished 15th that year, uttered a statement that sparked suspicion:
" Smell a rat…" he said, implying that something was not right.
He didn't remember being overtaken by Motsoeneng at any point. And he wasn't the only one with doubts.
The clue that gave him away
Days later, a journalist from the Afrikaans Beeld decided to investigate the case. He reviewed photographs of the event and noticed a disturbing detail:
🔎 In some images, Sergio wore a pink watch on his right hand. In others, he wore a yellow watch on his left hand.
It was impossible for a runner to change his watch in the middle of a race.
Then, an idea began to take shape:
What if Sergio hadn't run the entire race?
The biggest hoax in the history of running
The suspicions were correct. Sergio Motsoeneng didn't run alone… he had an accomplice.
A twin brother named Fika Motsoeneng .
The plan was brilliant in theory:
✅ Wearing the same running jersey
✅ Use the same competition number.
✅ Wear the same cap and sneakers.
✅ Establish changing points where, without being seen, they would exchange places.
✅ While one ran, the other drove ahead, rested, and waited for the next relay.
So, they shared the effort and managed to cross the finish line among the top 10 without raising any suspicions... except for that small, but fatal, detail: the clock.
When the truth came to light, Sergio was disqualified, his prize money was taken away, and he was banned from official racing for five years .
The return and the new trap
The scandal marked his career. Years later, he continued competing, always under the shadow of doubt. In 2010, he achieved an impressive third place in the same Comrades Marathon.
But as Nick Bester said in 1999:
"Smell a rat..."
Nobody believed him.
The organizers scrutinized every detail, even tracking down his brother to make sure he wasn't involved. This time, Fika wasn't in town .
He was given a doping test and the result was positive . He was doping.
The punishment was immediate: another two years of suspension .
The price of cheating
Throughout his career, Motsoeneng was always under the shadow of suspicion. Even when he competed fairly, no one believed him .
At the end of his career, he admitted the following:
"I've always been stigmatized as a cheater, and I'm not proud of it... but there are more cheaters out there than you think."