Of all the challenges standing in the way of a medal at this year's Olympics, French pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati probably didn't think his manhood would be one of them - but at least he's starting to see the funny side of his 'bulging' disappointment.
Ammirati, 21, exited out of the Games at the weekend after his private parts very visibly got in the way of the bar at 5.70m.
He said afterwards that he was 'gutted' by his exit before the finals and was clearly upset at not having gone through.
But a few days on, the moment he lost out on his Olympic dreams has become a viral sensation - and Ammirati himself at least has something to smile about.
Showing he's a good sport, the athlete was game enough to feature in a wry TikTok video poking fun at the mishap.
Of all the challenges standing in the way of a medal at this year's Olympics, French pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati probably didn't think his manhood would be one of them - but at least he's starting to see the funny side of his 'bulging' disappointment
Showing he's a good sport, the athlete was game enough to feature in a wry TikTok video poking fun at the mishap
Battle of the bulge: Ammirati suffered the unfortunate mishap en route to finishing 12th
In the short clip, Ammirati swaps talk of one lunchbox for another by tucking into a piece of pizza and looking contemplative.
A philosophical caption reads: 'POV [point of view]. You make more buzz for your package than for your performances.'
Fans will be relieved that Ammirati is coming through his disappointment after his dreams were dashed by the mishap on Saturday.
'It's a big disappointment,' Ammirati told the French Athletics Federation in the aftermath. 'I'm a bit gutted, because I didn't miss anything on the third attempt at 5.70 m.
French pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati has spoken out after his manhood appeared to prevent him from winning a medal at the Olympics
'What I did miss was a bit of jumping in training to fine-tune the settings. Just a technical session.'
He then added: 'I was 100 percent physically, but I was missing a bit of pole vault.
'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 interact with the audience. I was almost there.'
Ammirati's remarkable gaffe quickly went viral on social media, with fans left in stitches after his private parts cost him a place on the podium.
'Anthony Ammirati failed the bar and the commentators are already having a hard time acknowledging what happened. Help I'm dying,' a user on X posted.
'Unlucky but also good flex' another pointed out.
'The best way to lose... man ego still there,' someone else said.
'Oh he brought that baguette to the games,' a fan said.
Ammirati had already cleared two heights before his manhood messed up his score. He eventually finished 12th with a height of 5.60 in Group A.
Robin Emig and Thibault Collet - Ammirati's compatriots - recorded heights of 5.60 meters and 5.75 meters, respectively.
The 21-year-old admitted his disappointment after missing out on a medal in Paris
Collet, who became the third best French performer in pole vault history in June after clearing a bar at 5.95 meters, said of his performance on Saturday: 'When people say that the Games are different, well, it really is different.
'I thought it wouldn't necessarily affect me by arriving with potentially the third world performance of the year, but that doesn't mean anything.
'Today, I missed my competition. I knew that this qualification was going to be tough and now I'm taking it in the face.
'The Olympic Games are over. I'm going to pack my bags before going home.'
Swedish athlete Mondo Duplantis went home with a gold, while USA Olympian Sam Kendricks took silver, leaving Emmanouil Karalis of Greece with a bronze.
