Olympic pole vaulter failed to clear target height after surprising body part unfortunately caught bar

Pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati has gone viral at this year's Olympic Games in Paris.

It seems that the Frenchman's knee, along with a sensitive body part, appeared to cause a bit of an issue on Saturday (3 August).

The athlete, 21 - who won gold at the World Athletics U20 Championships in 2022 - attempted to clear the 5.70 metres, but his 'asset' sort of got in the way.

He had already cleared two heights while competing alongside French compatriot Thibaut Collet, who passed a height of 5.70 metres.

However, on one turn, Ammirati's knee collided with the pole, followed by his apparent bulge.

Sadly, his score went down after the blunder and the 21-year-old ended up finishing outside of the qualification places in 12th, unable to get more than 5.60 metres.

As expected, social media users were as quick as ever to react, as one viewer quipped: "He's got to learn to pack better before he travels."

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

"Man, that's a tough way to lose out on the Olympics. But also, uh, quite the unique reason! Wonder how that conversation went with the coach," a second added.

While third joked: "I am sure he will be compensated at the Olympic Village."

A fourth said: "French athlete Anthony Ammirati failed the 5.70 height pole vault because of his asset."

Meanwhile, others noted that it was actually his knee that turned out to be the issue as it appeared to collide with the pole first.

Some also explained to those questioning his outfit that: "If only you knew how they dressed for the Olympics back in the early days."

His teammate Collet finished in 11th and also missed out on the next round.

"When people say that the Games are different, well, it really is different," he said.

"I thought it wouldn't necessarily affect me by arriving with potentially the third world performance of the year, but that doesn't mean anything.

"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."

Swede Armand Gustav Duplantis - who is the favourite in the men’s pole vault final - was among the others who managed to clear 5.75 metres.

The 24-year-old is the current world outdoor and indoor record holder with 6.24 metres and 6.22 metres respectively.