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No, a French Pole Vaulter Did Not Lose Out on an Olympic Medal Because of His Crotch

The internet blamed Anthony Ammirati’s “bulge” for ending his Olympic dreams — but the vaulter knocked down the crossbar with another appendage

French pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati won’t be moving on to the men’s pole vault final at the Paris Olympics — but contrary to speculation, it has nothing to do with his crotch.

Ammirati, 21, went viral on Saturday, Aug. 3 after a video of one of his pole vault attempts made it look like he failed to clear the bar because of his “bulge,” which seemed to knock down the crossbar. The theory quickly picked up steam and spread like wildfire on social media and through headlines, but a closer look at the video shows that was not actually the case.

During the jump, Ammirati tries to clear the bar but first hits it with his shins and then his knees. It’s already a failed jump, but to add injury (presumably) to insult, Ammirati knocks the bar off fully after he hits it with his crotch.