French Pole Vaulter Anthony Ammirati Pokes Fun at His Viral Olympic Fail

Anthony Ammirati’s Olympic journey came to an unfortunate end, but it’s hard to feel too bad for him.

He may have failed to clear the 5.70-meter bar on his final attempt during his pole vaulting qualifying at the 2024 Paris Olympics last weekend, but he became a viral sensation after his crotch dislodged the bar before he went crashing down to the mat.

In a since-deleted, self-deprecating TikTok video, Ammirati showed he had a sense of humor about the situation, clowning on himself for inadvertently becoming one of the Olympics’ biggest stories.

“POV: You make more buzz for your package than for your performances,” Ammirati’s caption read.

Despite clearing the crossbar at 5.40 meters and 5.60 meters, Ammirati failed on his third attempt and finished in 15th place, missing out on the final cut by three spots.

Ammirati may not have medaled at the Olympics, but his viral moment caused his social media followers to explode. In just under a week, his Instagram following swelled from 8,400 to 254,000.

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