A French pole vaulter saw his Olympics hopes dashed Saturday in one of the strangest possible ways.
21-year-old Anthony Ammirati was trying to clear the 5.70-meter pole vault, but ran into an unforeseen problem. Ammirati’s unsecured bulge caught the pole as he was doing his vault, causing him to fall.
French athlete Anthony Ammirati failed the 5.70 height pole vault because of his asset. #IKYK #Paris2024 https://t.co/qWnr1QbFzy
— @pauloinmanila and 99 others (@pauloMDtweets) August 3, 2024
Ammirati had another chance at the 5.70, but that time, he caught the crossbar with his knee. It meant he failed to advance from his trial heats in what was his only race at the Olympics.
Physically, this probably wasn’t nearly as painful as your standard sporting nut shot. In every other sense, though, it might sting a bit more. While there is no way of knowing whether or not Ammirati might have contended for a medal had he cleared this heat, to have his chances dashed by his own anatomy is a pretty cruel twist of fate. Perhaps some preventative measures might need to be taken in the future.
