He’s joining in on the jokes.
French pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati humorously addressed the viral attention his “package” received during the 2024 Paris Olympics in a TikTok video, which he has since deleted.
In the video, captured by a fan page, the 21-year-old athlete is seen staring blankly while eating a slice of cheese pizza. The caption, written in French, read, “POV: You make more buzz for your package than for your performances.”
The lighthearted remark followed an incident on August 3, when Ammirati’s Olympic performance was marred by an unexpected mishap. As he vaulted, his “package” hit the crossbar, causing it to fall and disqualifying him from advancing to the next round. This unfortunate event ended his hopes of winning an Olympic medal.
The moment quickly went viral on Twitter, with many users making playful comments about Ammirati’s “pole.”
“Well, the pole was too long for once,” joked one user.
“I mean, if you’re going to be famous for losing a pole vault, this is the way to do it,” added another.
“His pole certainly vaulted,” quipped a third.
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Despite the humor, Ammirati expressed his disappointment over not advancing in the competition. “I’m a bit gutted because I didn’t miss anything on the third attempt at 5.70 m. What I did miss was a bit of jumping in training to fine-tune the settings. Just a technical session,” he told the French Athletics Federation.
In an unexpected twist, Ammirati received a $250,000 offer to showcase his manhood on an adult website, according to TMZ. Daryn Parker, the vice president of CamSoda, reportedly sent Ammirati an offer letter, stating, “If it was up to me, I’d award you for what everyone else saw: your talent below the belt.”
Parker continued, “As a lover of crotch-centric activities, I’d love to offer you up to $250,000 in exchange for a 60-minute webcam show in which you show off your goods, minus the crossbar, of course.”
It remains unclear whether Ammirati will accept the offer.