French pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati reacted to going viral during the 2024 Paris Olympics when it appeared his crotch interfered with his jump.
The first-time Olympian, 21, shared a TikTok video of himself staring off into space while enjoying lunch in the Olympic Village. Over the clip, which used the soundtrack “Sad Spongebob Music,” he wrote in French, “POV: tu fais plus de buzz pour ton paquet que pour tes perfs.” Translated, his post means, “POV: You create more buzz for your package than your performances.”
“Je sais pas trop si je dois le prendre bien ou pas du coup 😂 #olympics #paris2024,” he added in the caption, which translated into English means, “I don’t really know if I should take it well or not 😂.”
Fans rushed to the comments section to join in on the joke. “A win is a win,” several users wrote while someone else added, “It’s a HUGE accomplishment.” Another commenter urged Calvin Klein to “give this man an advertising campaign immediately.”
Ammirati garnered worldwide attention during his pole vault heat at the 2024 Summer Olympics on August 3 when his bulge clipped the crossbar. The image spread on social media and his crotch became a hot topic of conversation, with many expressing sadness about his manhood possibly costing him a medal and landing him in 12th place. In actuality, Ammirati’s bulge had nothing to do with him failing the jump. He first hit the bar with his shins, followed by his knees.
The Olympian initially made no mention of his viral fame in a statement put out by the French Athletics Federation shortly after the event.
“It’s a big disappointment,” he said. “The conditions were good. It’s the first time I’ve started a comPetition without any stress. As I was a total outsider, I only had one goal: to play with the audience. I was almost there.”
Ammirati further noted that he was “frustrated” by the results in a joint Instagram post with French Sports academy Envol.
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Score 40% off This Best-Selling and Breezy Cap Sleeve Top! View DealWhile the athlete wasn’t able to medal during the Games in his home country, he did score himself a lucrative job offer.
Ammirati’s misfortune and viral fame caught the attention of adult Entertainment company CamSoda, who offered him $250,000 in exchange for a 60-minute cam show. In a letter obtained by Us Weekly, CamSoda Vice President Daryn Parker made the offer to Ammirati to show off his “goods” in exchange for the big payday.
“Although you didn’t bring home the gold medal, you can still capture the gold from your fans via CamSoda – that has to count for something, right?” the offer read. “Plus, you won’t have those restrictive compression shorts holding you back, so feel free to let it all out and show the world why you should have your own Olympic comPetition next time around.”
