Olympics athletes almost fight on track in furious exchange as officials bend rules

Olympics athlete George Mills was involved in a dramatic moment as he clashed with another competitor toward the end of the 5000m race.

Mills stumbled and fell over during the crucial final 100m due to a mishap involving several athletes' legs , ultimately forcing him to walk across the finish line. Enraged by the situation, he was visibly upset and got into a heated exchange with Hugo Hay, evidently frustrated by his unlucky end to the race.

Afterward, when Mills had a chance to speak with the BBC, he revealed his intention to lodge an appeal, asserting that he was unfairly "taken out" by the French athlete.

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"Its out of my control out. Being in France and the French guy taking me out, I can't see much happening," lamented Mills. "It turned into a sprint finish which me stepping up to the right - I dodged one fall coming into the bell, then I just got taken out and went down 80 meters out. I don't know how it looked but I knew I was boxed in, so I thought I'd wait until the home stretch then I hit the deck."

In a fortunate turn of events for Mills, officials decided after reviewing video footage that he would get another opportunity to compete in the 5000m race. Reflecting on the incident, former marathon icon Paula Radcliffe commented: "There's a lot to look back at, I lot to tidy up and decide whose fault it was. If you decide to jog that slightly, it's kind of your own fault. You end up with all of those falls."

Steve Cram chimed in, commenting: "With the exception of Nordas most have got themselves to blame. George was in a bad position from a long way out and should have checked out much earlier. From what I can see there, George did push in the home straight, it will be interesting to see what they do there."

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Cram continued his analysis, stating: "I go back to what Paula said, there are lots of experienced men. And yes everyone thinks they can kick, but when you get to that situation the chances of going down increase dramatically."

Mills was one of four athletes to hit the deck, alongside Spain's Thierry Ndikumwenayo, Dominic Lokinyomo Lobalu from the Refugee Olympic Team and the Netherlands' Mike Foppen.

Mills, who is the son of ex-Premier League soccer star Danny Mills, was competing within a cluster of four racers tailing the leading pack nearing the final stretch. The 25 year old mistakenly made contact with the runner beside him, stumbled and succumbed to a fall, triggering a domino effect with three other competitors also collapsing.

The initial heat of the 5000m was run at a leisurely pace, resulting in a tightly packed field as they approached the final stages. That led to a chaotic scramble of athletes vying for the finish line. The incident adds to Mills' disappointment, who previously finished 11th in the semi-finals of the 1500m, missing out on the finals.