‘When you wish you were a grower, not a shower’: A pole vaulter’s appendage made a surprise Olympic appearance and Bette Midler had THOUGHTS

We all know that the Olympics are a time for the greatest athletes from around the world to gather and show off their bulging muscles and incredible skills, but rarely does a participant win this hard and still walk away without a medal.

French Pole Vaulter Anthony Ammirati might not have gotten the chance to stand shoulder to shoulder with his competition on the podium, but you’d be hard pressed to find someone who didn’t think he was a winner. Even Hollywood icon Bette Midler couldn’t keep her eyes off of the French finalist and his enormous talent.

Ammirati might have lost his chance for a medal after failing to qualify for the Pole Vault finals, but the 21-year-old has won the internet’s adoration. In a video that has now been posted and reposted a million times, Ammirati’s third – and final – attempt is put in beautiful slow motion.

As the Frenchman executed his rotation around the bar, more than one appendage connected with the barrier. While the judges were busy noting that the athlete’s shins and knees knocked the bar, all those watching from home could see was the moment his exceptional gift got in the way.

As if failing to qualify for the Olympics wasn’t painful enough, Ammirati fully dislodged the bar with his groin. The moment went viral almost instantly, with people all around the world marveling at the athlete’s strengths and wondering if there was any way he might have prevented the viral moment.

Taking to X.com, Bette Midler just had to say what everyone was thinking, “Shoulda worn that cup! Excuse me, make that a demi-tasse!” she cackled, using the French word for an espresso cup or “half cup.”

“He should have consulted a drag queen” One user added.

There were a few haters mixed in the replies, but almost everyone was very happy to support the athlete.

While the internet quickly decided that Ammirati’s groin was to blame for the loss, the Olympic committee was quick to try and curb the rumor. Pole Vaulters have several heights to vault in order to qualify, and are allowed three attempts at each height. Starting at 5.40 meters, vaulters work their way up to 5.60 and finally, 5.70 meters. The viral moment was Ammirati’s third and final attempt at the 5.70 meter jump.

Where he failed, nine other men succeeded, but did they really? No one can seem to recall any of their names, faces, or scores.

Ammirati is far from the only jumper to have technical issues during the Olympics. During the 2016 games in Rio, Japan’s Hiroki Ogita suffered a similar fate. The Japanese athlete was absolutely mortified when the video first went viral, but after a few weeks, he was able to find the humor in the situation. As for Ammirati, TMZ reports that he was allegedly offered 250K from the XXX site CamSoda, should he ever look for another line of work.

The Frenchman broke his several-day-long silence, telling the French Athletics Federation,

“I’m a little disappointed because I didn’t miss anything on the third try at 5.70 m… I was 100% physically…The conditions were good. This is the first time that I attended [sic] a competition without any stress. As a total outsider, I only had one objective: to play with the public. I was almost there.”

Its surely disappointing to lose out on your dreams so close to the finish line, but Ammirati is incredibly young. And after his Paris 2024 showing, the Pole Vaulter has a legion of fans worldwide just waiting for the next time they can catch a glimpse of his impressive skills.