French pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati's pursuit of an Olympic medal at the Paris Games was unexpectedly interrupted by an unusual incident involving his groin area.
During his third attempt to clear a height of 5.70 meters in
the qualification round, Ammirati inadvertently made contact with the bar,
resulting in its fall and eliminating his chances of progressing to the final.
Having successfully cleared 5.60 meters, Ammirati finished
in 12th place in Group A.
This peculiar conclusion to his Olympic experience elicited
both surprise and amusement from the audience. His fellow French athletes,
Robin Emig and Thibaut Collet, also did not advance beyond the qualifying
rounds.
A visibly disheartened Collet expressed, “When people say
that the Games are different, well, it really is different. Today, I missed my
competition. I knew that this qualification was going to be tough and now I’m
taking it in the face.
The Olympic Games are over. I’m going to pack my bags before
going home.” In contrast, no British competitors participated in the men's pole
vault; however, Molly Caudery is expected to be a formidable contender in the
women's event.
The qualifying rounds for the women's pole vault are set to
commence on Monday, with the final taking place two days later.