(Video) French pole vaulter’s NSFW mishap causing embarrassing fail at Paris Olympics goes viral

Pole Vaulting is one of the most technically demanding events in track and field. The sport requires immense strength, agility, and precision. Athletes hitting the bar with their body parts and knocking it down is normal in the event. However, what happened with France’s Anthony Ammirati at the Paris Olympics is surely an anomaly.

Ammirati, competing in front of his home crowd on Saturday, was part of Group A during the qualification event for the Pole Vault final. The 21-year-old had already cleared two heights and was looking to clear the 5.70m mark for his third height. He had his eyes set on qualifying for the finals. However, an unfortunate mishap occurred, which cost him any chance of a medal.

The Frenchman was about to relinquish his pole and seemingly about to clear the height. However, a part of his genitals caught the bar on his way down. This sent the bar crashing down onto the ground and ending all hopes for the finals and a medal for Ammirati. The 21-year-old eventually finished 12th in Group A with a height of 5.60m.

The commentators could be heard laughing and scrambling for words as they looked to describe what happened. Commiserations went out to the Frenchman for his unfortunate incident. Just two years ago, he had cleared a height of 5.75m to win the pole vault title at the World Athletics U20 Championship. The incident has since gone viral on the internet, making Ammirati a social media star.

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French Pole Vaulter Thibaut Collet talks about the difference in performing at the Paris Olympics

Ammirati’s compatriot, Thibaut Collet, posted a height of 5.70m during the Group A qualifiers. He finished 11th in the group and missed out on reaching the finals by a single position. He was one of the favorites heading into the Paris Olympics. The 25-year-old recently became the third-best French pole vaulter ever with a height of 5.95m only two months ago.

During an interview after the event, Collet spoke about his performance at the Paris Olympics. He had heard people say that the Olympic Games are different from any other competition, and he agreed with the sentiment. He thought that he would be unaffected after arriving with the third-best world performance of the year. Unfortunately for him, that was not the case.

When people say that the Games are different, well, it really is different. I thought it wouldn’t necessarily affect me by arriving with potentially the third world performance of the year, but that doesn’t mean anything.

Thibaut Collet during post-event interview

Thibaut Collet felt the pressure of competing on the biggest stage in the world. He always knew the qualification was going to be tough. Now that he failed to do so, he mentioned that he was taking it in the face. The 25-year-old said that it was time for him to pack his bags, go home, and prepare for next time.

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