Athlete who hit bar with penis speaks out: ‘I was missing a little pole’
The French pole vaulter whose social following has skyrocketed after he knocked the bar off with his penis has spoken about his “big” disappointment.
Olympics
Don't miss out on the headlines from Olympics. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Anthony Ammirati says he was “missing a little pole” after crashing out of the pole vault at the Paris Olympics when his penis hit the bar.
The Frenchman became the latest athlete to suffer the unfortunate mishap as he attempted to clear 5.70m during Saturday’s qualification.
He’s spoken out about his “big” disappointment after becoming a viral sensation for all the wrong reasons.
“I’m a little disappointed, because I didn’t miss anything on the third try at 5.70m,” Ammirati told the French Athletics Federation website.
“I was 100 per cent physically, but I was missing a little pole.”
We better point out he was talking about his lack of competition in the lead-up to the Games after suffering a groin injury.
“What I’m missing is a bit of jumping around in training to finetune the settings,” Ammirati said.
“Just a technical session. I had to give up on the last two, following a small grade one (tear) in the adductor. I prioritised the race.
But even that revelation is likely going to lead to more jokes after social media had a track and field day as vision of his appendage adversity spread everywhere.
Aussie Olympic great Rennae Stubbs said the footage was “unbelievable”.
“Seriously!!! When your sport is all about getting your body over a bar and it’s a matter of millimetres! My man! Call a drag queen! She’ll teach u how to tuck it!” Stubbs tweeted.
“Hiroki Ogita walked so Anthony Ammirati could run,” tweeted another, referencing the Japanese pole vaulter who suffered the same fate at the Rio Olympics.
Others highlighted Ammirati’s giant snake tattoo as a forewarning.
And of course there was the inevitable comparison to Chinese gold medal winning diving duo Long Daoyi and Wang Zongyuan.
Ammirati said his objective during competition was to engage the home French crowd - and the public has flocked to his Instagram page in the wake of the event.
The 21-year-old, who won gold at the under-20 world championships two years ago, saw his following spike from about 5000 on Saturday morning to more than 50,000 the following day.
More Coverage
Originally published as Athlete who hit bar with penis speaks out: ‘I was missing a little pole’
‘Never had’: Bruce loses it over Gout Gout
Legendary broadcaster Bruce McAvaney has seen it all in Australian sports but our latest rising athletics star is a different beast.
‘World at his feet’: Australia’s never seen anything like Gout Gout
Bruce McAvaney has seen so much in Australian track and field throughout his broadcasting career, but nothing compares to what teen sprinting sensation Gout Gout is doing at his age.