Culture

Olympics: Anthony Ammirati speaks out after viral bulge mishap

By Demetri Woode

5th August 2024

Anthony Ammirati has broken his silence after he was cock-blocked (quite literally) from winning at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The French athlete, who specialises in pole vaulting, failed to advance to the finals on Saturday (3 August) when he knocked down the crossbar with his… body part.

Subsequently, Ammirati became a viral sensation on social media – because of thirst, obviously – and his failure to secure a medal was met with countless memes.

“His meat cost him the Gold but it will keep him paid after the Olympics,” one user wrote on X/Twitter, alluding to a potential career as an OnlyFans creator, while another tweeted: “Wow, even though he lost the game, in a way, he won his life.”

Although Ammirati is yet to comment on his sudden viral fame and how his manhood prevented him from taking home a medal, he told the French Athletics Federation that it was a “big disappointment”.

“I’m a bit gutted, because I didn’t miss anything on the third attempt at 5.70 m. What I did miss was a bit of jumping in training to fine-tune the settings. Just a technical session,” he explained.

He added: “I was 100 percent physically, but I was missing a bit of pole vault.

“The conditions were good. It’s the first time I’ve started a competition without any stress. As I was a total outsider, I only had one goal: to interact with the audience. I was almost there.”

Ammirati also reshared a post from French sports academy Envol, who praised him for coming “15th place in the Paris Olympics qualification with 5m60”.

“We are proud of you @anthony_ammirati despite the last two weeks of being physically disturbed you managed to show up, even though we are frustrated like you for that 5m70 bar,” they wrote. “We wish you an unforgettable Olympic experience.”

The athlete later thanked his followers “for your support and this unforgettable moment”.

Revisit the moment below: