French pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati became an unexpected sensation at the Paris Olympics, but not for the reasons he had hoped. During his attempt to clear 5.70 meters, a unique and rather unfortunate incident occurred that left the audience and social media buzzing.
Competing alongside his compatriot Thibaut Collet, Ammirati managed to pass the 5.60-meter mark. However, his attempt at 5.70 meters took a surprising turn. As he made his leap, his knee and private parts collided with the pole, causing him to miss the qualifying round and finish in 12th place. The incident, captured on video, quickly went viral, sparking a flood of reactions online.
Social Media Reactions
The mishap led to a wave of comments on social media, with users offering their humorous takes on the situation. One user quipped, “He’s got to learn to pack better before he travels,” while another commented, “Man, that’s a tough way to lose out on the Olympics. But also, quite the unique reason!”
Tattoo Connection
Amid the buzz, keen-eyed fans noticed a detail that added another layer of intrigue. Ammirati sports a tattoo of a long snake wrapped around his arm, which some have interpreted as a playful nod to his recent Olympic misadventure. One person wrote, “Anthony Ammirati will never have to explain the forearm tattoo again. Message received and understood.” This observation has led many to believe that the tattoo “makes sense” in light of the incident.
Ammirati’s Response
Following the event, Ammirati expressed his disappointment but maintained a positive outlook. He stated, “I’m a bit gutted because I didn’t miss anything on the third attempt at 5.70 meters. What I did miss was a bit of jumping in training to fine-tune the settings. Just a technical session.” Despite the setback, Ammirati appreciated the supportive crowd and noted that this was the first competition where he felt no stress, aiming to interact with the audience.
His colleague, Thibaut Collet, also faced challenges, finishing 11th and failing to qualify. Reflecting on the experience, Collet remarked, “When people say that the Games are different, well, it really is different. I thought it wouldn’t necessarily affect me, but arriving with potentially the third world performance of the year didn’t mean anything today.”
