Some people believe that being well-endowed is a blessing.
However, at the 2024 Paris Olympics track and field competition, the jury was hung on that score when French pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati knocked the bar off with his champion-sized bulge.
On Saturday, the 21-year-old threw himself out there to qualify for the Olympic Games final at the Stade de France with a promising launch, clearing the 5.40 and 5.60 meters on his first attempts.
But on the third attempt at clearing the 5.70-meter mark, his legs clipped the horizontal bar and dislodged it when his penis rammed the beam off its supports on his way down.
Ammirati finished 12th in the qualifiers, causing him to barely miss out on making the top ten.
You can watch a viral video of the unfortunate collision, which sparked plenty of jokes and memes.
Here's a screenshot of the moment when two rods banged.
NBC
Despite his early exit from the Olympics, at which pole vaulting was his only event, Ammirati and his member became an internet sensation.
One user joked on X (formerly Twitter):
"21-year-old French pole-vaulter Anthony Ammirati may have lost out on Olympic Gold, but I see big things in his future."
The jokes wrote themselves.
SNL alum Leslie Jones mentioned a silver lining during her hilarious commentary recapping the incident, joking that while the French pole vaulter may have lost the competition, Ammirati "won women's hearts across the world."
Amateurs shared how this could've been prevented.
Swedish world record holder Mondo Duplantis won the pole vaulting qualification round by clearing 5.75 meters on his first try.
Coming in second was Guttormsen Sondre of Norway, followed by, Karalis Emmanouli of Greece coming in third.
None of the athletes attempted to hit the automatic qualifying mark of 5.80 meters.
Ammirati remained a good sport about all the unexpected media attention and social media mockery.
"I'm just glad I can make people smile and laugh," he said, according to the French Athletic Federation, adding, "And who knows, maybe this will be the start of something amazing!"
This wasn't the first time an Olympian was cock-blocked from advancing in the competition.
At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Japanese pole vaulter Hiroki Ogita failed to move forward when his penis struck the bar during a qualifying round attempt.
Ogita commented on the awkward moment, saying he was "pretty devastated" by the ensuing mockery online.
The then 28-year-old later saw the humor in the situation, saying:
"Watching again, this is pretty funny, if I say so myself. LOL.”
@sama/X
