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French pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati betrayed by Ardennes at the Olympic Games
Anthony Ammirati
Getty ImagesFrench pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati‘s chase for Olympic gold ended on Saturday, August 3, but he has been blessed with quite a consolation prize.
The 21-year-old Olympian went viral after failing to clear the post by the narrowest of margins, with his bulge hitting the crossbar and ultimately pulling it off the rack. His failed jump left him in 15th place, well out of reach to qualify for the pole vault final and compete for gold.
Although it is undoubtedly one of the most disappointing moments in the young Frenchman’s life, viewers couldn’t help but congratulate him on his baguette. It quickly became one of the biggest (*cough*) Olympic stories of the day.
“When you’re about to win an Olympic medal but your huge dick is in the way while the whole world watches in slow motion,” says one user wrote on Xnext to a video of the moment.
The Today show presenters start their mornings in the City of Light. Hoda Kotb, Savannah Guthrie, Al Roker and Craig Melvin will cover the 2024 Paris Olympics – set for Friday, July 26 through Sunday, August 11 – for the NBC morning show. “It’s really the first time the world has done that […]
Another X user said they “died” due to the inability of the commentators to immediately indicate what caused the bar to fall. One commenter said Ammirati was “jumping with the wrong stick.”
The first Olympian made no mention of his viral fame in a statement from the French Athletics Federation after failing to qualify for his home country’s Olympics.
“It’s a big disappointment,” he said. “The conditions were good. It is the first time that I have started a competition without stress. Being a total outsider, I had only one goal: to play with the audience. I was almost there.”
A joint post between Ammirati and the French sports academy Envol shared via Instagram said Ammirati was “frustrated” by the outcome.
“We are proud of you @anthony_ammirati, despite your presence over the last two physically disrupted weeks, even though we are frustrated like you because of this bar at 5m70,” they wrote. “We wish you an unforgettable Olympic experience.”
The 2024 Olympic Games in Paris have provided several perfect moments since they started on July 26. Perhaps the most viral photo came during the third round of the men’s surfing competition on July 29. After completing a barrel ride in Teahupo’o, Tahiti, Brazil surfer Gabriel Medina floated in the air and pointed his finger at the […]
Although Ammirati failed to bring home a medal, France did quite well at the Paris Olympics. The host country has won 41 medals so far (12 gold, 14 silver and 15 bronze). That’s good enough for a tie for third in gold medal events with Australia, behind China’s 16 wins and the US’s 14 first-place finishes. Their total medal count is second only to the US, which has 61 medals.
France has proven to be a powerhouse in swimming, winning four golds in the category. They have also finished first in the world in fencing, rugby sevens, judo and mountain bike racing.
