Ladbible X Whatsapp
  • iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
Olympic officials make George Mills decision after runners square up to each other at end of controversial race

Home> News> Sport

Published 11:57 7 Aug 2024 GMT+1

Olympic officials make George Mills decision after runners square up to each other at end of controversial race

Team GB star George Mills did not believe the fall was his fault

Tom Earnshaw

Tom Earnshaw

Officials at the 2024 Paris Olympics have made a decision following controversial scenes at the end of the heat races for the men's 5,000 metres.

Taking place this morning (7 August) inside Paris' iconic Stade de France, the heats for the men's 5,000m have pitted dozens of runners against each other for a place in Saturday's final.

But the first heat turned ugly after an incident on the final straight of the 14 minute race, with numerous athletes falling to the track in dramatic fashion.

George Mills was fuming (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
George Mills was fuming (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Advert

Among them was Team GB's George Mills, who has had his eyes on an medal after winning silver in the same race at the 2024 European Championships in Rome.

Four runners were impacted, with three others - Dominic Lobalu, Thierry Ndikumwenayo, and Mike Foppen - also ending up on the floor alongside Mills.

Ndikumwenayo did not finish the race, with Foppen and Mills crossing the line in the last two places.

After the finish, Mills squared up to French runner Hugo Hay, pushing him in the chest in a fiery exchange. Other athletes came over to try and calm down the confrontation, which was done in front of the world's cameras.

A big fall (Al Bello/Getty Images)
A big fall (Al Bello/Getty Images)

Advert

Footage from the incident appears to show Hay and Mills tussling as the runners went on to the final straight.

Mills can then be seen falling alongside three others while runners fought for track position.

Hay finished seventh and qualified for the final, with Mills furious in a post-run interview.

When asked by media after the run what he said to Hay, Mills said: "I'm probably not allowed to say. I haven't seen anyone but there'll be an appeal, I hope.

"It was a perfect qualifier for me. I was thinking nobody in this field can keep up with me and then bang hit the deck. But what can you do?"

Advert

Mills wasn't happy with Hay (Al Bello/Getty Images)
Mills wasn't happy with Hay (Al Bello/Getty Images)

Following the race, it has been confirmed that Mills has been advanced to Saturday's final.

Lobalu and Foppen have also been put in the race.

A statement from British Athletics on X says: "Following this morning's 5000m heat, George Mills has been advanced to Saturday's final."

Hay was not disqualified. Speaking after the race, he said: "I just hope that I didn't do anything and I will not be disqualified. For me, that was nothing.

Advert

"Like I said to George, I will watch the images and if I'm the guy that did it, I will apologise. For me, I didn't do anything. I just hope that I can go in the final."

The men's 5,000 metre final takes place in the Stade de France on Saturday evening (10 August).

Featured Image Credit: Al Bello / Getty Images / Christian Petersen / Getty Images

Topics: Olympics, Sport, UK News, Viral, World News

Tom Earnshaw
Tom Earnshaw

Tom joined LADbible Group in 2024, currently working as SEO Lead across all brands including LADbible, UNILAD, SPORTbible, Tyla, UNILAD Tech, and GAMINGbible. He moved to the company from Reach plc where he enjoyed spells as a content editor and senior reporter for one of the country's most-read local news brands, LancsLive. When he's not in work, Tom spends his adult life as a suffering Manchester United supporter after a childhood filled with trebles and Premier League titles. You can't have it all forever, I suppose.

X

@TREarnshaw

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

3 hours ago
4 hours ago
  • 3 hours ago

    Man, 92, found guilty of murder of woman nearly 60 years ago in UK's 'longest cold case'

    75-year-old Louisa Dunne was murdered in her Bristol home in 1967

    News
  • 3 hours ago

    'Marriage destroyer' holiday hotspot where Brits 'can't stop cheating' revealed

    Time to cancel those flights

    News
  • 3 hours ago

    Brit ranked no.733 in world won't receive £99k prize money despite shock first round win at Wimbledon

    Oliver Tarvet won't see the money because of a sporting rule

    News
  • 4 hours ago

    Police in frantic search for victim's head after reality star girlfriend charged with murder

    Police believe he was killed nearly two weeks ago now

    News
  • Runner wins 400m hurdle race despite having his penis constantly fall out of his shorts
  • Olympic triathlete shares disturbing ways he's been preparing for controversial triathlon race
  • Shocking moment Olympics cameraman wanders into pack of runners and risks causing huge pile-up during race
  • Heartbroken British sprinter speaks out after controversial disqualification from Olympic 100m