A cameraman disrupted the 5,000m heats at the Paris Olympics causing near-collisions and escalating tensions among competing athlete.
Drama was witnessed in the 5,000m heats at the Paris Olympic where a stray cameraman nearly caused a catastrophic pile-up on Wednesday morning.
The incident unfolded dramatically as athletes, including prominent Kenyan runners, navigated through unexpected obstacles on the track, adding a layer of intensity to the race.
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In the first heat, the action heated up when Great Britain's George Mills was caught in a tangle with France's Hugo Hay in the final stretch.
The altercation led to Mills and three other athletes tumbling to the ground.
Despite the fall, Mills confronted Hay at the finish line, visibly upset, and later voiced his frustrations about the incident.
However, the second heat escalated the drama further when a cameraman, engrossed in filming the women’s javelin qualifiers, inadvertently walked onto the track.
Oblivious to the fast-approaching runners, he crossed their path during a critical turn into the final laps.
The runners, led by Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen, narrowly avoided a collision by swerving around him.
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Ingebrigtsen, visibly irate, gestured towards the cameraman as he continued his race, which he eventually won, displaying remarkable focus and agility under pressure.
Amidst the chaos, the Kenyan trio of Edwin Kurgat, Jacob Krop and Ronald Kwemoi were among those who had to quickly adapt to the unfolding drama.
Kurgat and Krop, finishing fourth and fifth respectively in the first heat demonstrated remarkable composure and agility securing their spots in the finals.
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Krop, in particular, delivered a strong performance with a time of 14:08.73 closely followed by Kurgat at 14:08.76.
Their performances were critical in a tightly contested heat won by Norwegian Gilje Narve Nordas.
In the second heat Ronald Kwemoi faced his own set of challenges.
Needing to accelerate in the last moments of the race, Kwemoi put on an impressive burst of speed to clinch the sixth position with a time of 13:52.51 ensuring his advancement to the finals.