Mills took a tumble in the final 100m after getting caught up with several athletes' legs, which led to him crossing the finish line on foot. Furious at the turn of events, he was seen having a fiery confrontation with Hugo Hay, clearly angered by his misfortune at the end of the race.
"Its out of my control. Being in France and the French guy taking me out, I can't see much happening," Mills bemoaned. "It turned into a sprint finish with 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."
Luckily for Mills, after the officials reviewed the video evidence, they granted him another shot at the 5000m race. Reflecting on the event, marathon legend Paula Radcliffe remarked: "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 weighed in with his view: "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."
Cram offered more insight: "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."
There were four athletes who toppled over during the event, including Spain's Thierry Ndikumwenayo, Dominic Lokinyomo Lobalu of the Refugee Olympic Team, and Mike Foppen from the Netherlands.
In an unfortunate turn of events, Mills, son of former Premier League footballer Danny Mills, was involved in a tangle while part of a group chasing the leaders on the final bend. The 25-year-old clashed with another runner, fell, and in doing so initiated the collapse of three others.
The initial heat of the 5000m was set at a relaxed pace by the competitors, which led to the group being bunched up as the race neared its conclusion. This caused mayhem as a throng of runners jostled for position in the closing moments.
This accident compounds the woes for Mills, who had earlier come in 11th place in the semi-finals of the 1500m, therefore not making the cut for the finals.
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