French men’s pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati saw his Olympic dream go up in smoke in an embarrassing situation.
Anthony Ammirati, competing in front of a packed French crowd on August 3, looked set to clear 5.70m and take a big step towards the final, before the unthinkable happened. As the 21-year-old was about to let go of the pole while high in the air, the incident occurred when his penis hit the bar with enough force to send it crashing to the floor, ending his hopes of a medal at the 2024 Olympics.
Ammirati cleared the previous two heights but his genitals marred his performance. He eventually finished 12th with an average height of 5.60m in Group A and was eliminated. Robin Emig and Thibault Collet – Ammirati’s compatriots – reached 5.60m and 5.75m respectively.
The 2024 Olympics will be Ammirati’s first time competing in the world’s biggest sporting event. “A childhood dream come true. Officially selected to compete in my first Olympics in Paris,” he wrote on Instagram last month.
“It’s a big disappointment. The conditions were great. It was the first time I started a race without any stress. Since I was a complete outsider, I had only one goal: to play with the audience. I was almost there,” Ammirati said in a statement posted by the French Athletics Federation after he stopped due to the unusual situation.
Ammirati also shared his gratitude to those who accompanied him to the Olympics but did not comment on the unfortunate incident that led to his disqualification. This moment quickly spread on social media, in which many French fans sympathized and encouraged the 21-year-old athlete.
Ammirati was not the only athlete to suffer the disappointment of having to retire early due to unusual incidents on August 3. British sprinter Jeremiah Azu was disqualified without even having a chance to compete after a false start.
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