French pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati went viral, though not in the way he would have preferred.
Last August 3, Ammirati competed in the men’s pole vault and narrowly missed a spot in the final in front of a packed home crowd at the Stade de France.
The pole vaulter’s bulge struck at the bar on his third and final effort at 5.70 meters. His legs initially disturb the bar in a viral video shared on social media, but it only gets dislodged when his penis makes contact with the vertical bar.
Ammirati was devastated and appeared to have taken a severe blow, flinching as he hit the mat. He is not the only pole vaulter to experience this fate. Hiroki Ogita of Japan caused a stir at the 2016 Rio Olympics when he pushed his penis back on the bar with his legs.
Much to the dismay of the French spectators, Ammirati finished in 15th place in the 31-man competition and was eliminated after failing to clear the 5.70-meter vault in three tries. He had to finish in the top 12 in order to qualify.
Although his Olympic hopes were crushed, he went viral online and his Instagram following apparently skyrocketed after the unfortunate incident that led to cheeky responses on social media.
There were awkward pauses as commentators attempted to softly address the situation, explaining that it was not because of a lack of height but rather an unlucky incident on the way down. A barrage of clever comments and jokes followed the image online.
— el Ósqar (@elosqar) August 3, 2024
@ughmere97 Anthony Ammirati of France on his failed pole vault attemp. #trending #fyp #paris2024olympics #olympics #paris2024 #foryou #foryourpage #trending #paris #philippines ♬ watashi wa star – jyne ᯓᡣ𐭩
@tayloraustin.atl #Olympics #paris2024 ♬ original sound – I Green Screen Things
@seona88 Replying to @vatables #anthonyammirati #polevaulter #paris2024 #olympics #france ♬ Guess featuring Billie Eilish – Charli xcx & Billie Eilish
@ekb_yeahyouknowme Not all winners get medals 🥇 #olympics #parisolympics2024 #anthonyammirati #ouchy ♬ original sound – Studio EKB
@peterpetrella Suddenly pole vault has been put on the map #AnthonyAmmirati #polevault #olympics #2024olympics #paris2024olympics #fyp ♬ original sound – j (billies98)
#AnthonyAmmirati soon in a #calvinklein commercial near you!
— Björn Nordlund (@BearNorthland) August 5, 2024
Heard Anthony Ammirati had BIG issues in Pole Vaulting.
— △⃒⃘ Lingardium lEViOsA ⚯͛⚡️🇵🇸 (@Keshalia_21) August 5, 2024
Forget medaling, Anthony Ammirati’s life is about to change. O’ boy is gonna get laaaaaaaayed and paaaaaaid 😂🤣🤣🤣 ========D ~~~~ #bomchikawahwah $$$$$
— Cole S. Bigguns (@steel_bigguns44) August 4, 2024
The French Pole Vaulter brings new meaning to term ballsy performance.
— Paul Lander (@paul_lander) August 4, 2024
This just in: #AnthonyAmmirati and his manhood are in negotiations with #Marvel for a #Venom spin-off. As soon as all three parties can agree on the terms, filming will begin in 2028… coinciding with Ammirati's manhood's petition for emancipation. pic.twitter.com/2SikYLoQSP
— BigBrother1984 (@BigBrutha1984) August 4, 2024
As anticipated, Swedish world record holder Mondo Duplantis won the qualification round by clearing 5.75 meters on his first try. Guttormsen Sondre of Norway came in second, and Karalis Emmanouli of Greece came in third. Ironically, not a single pole vaulter attempted to reach the 5.80m automatic qualifying threshold.
Other POP! stories you might like:
Olympic sharpshooter from South Korea catches internet’s attention with ‘main character’ vibe
Olympics commentator fired for sexist comments about Australia’s swim team
‘Clout farm?’: The Bianca Tan post looks increasingly suspicious as you look closer at the details
Viewers slam docu-series ‘Dirty Pop: The Boy Band Scam’ for using AI
Champagne sales reportedly in decline due to ‘unhappy people’