Featured Image Credit: BBC
Topics: Sport, Olympics, Social Media
Ella Scott
The men’s 5000m race was almost derailed at the Paris Olympics by a ‘crazy’ cameraman who wandered into the thick of the action.
The heats for the men’s 5000m are finally underway at Stade De Paris, and they’ve not been short of drama.
In the first heat, Team GB runner George Mills, 25, confronted France’s Hugo Hay, 27, and blamed him after falling over on the final straight.
Following the tense altercation, a video referee reviewed the incident and officials confirmed the Briton had been disadvantaged, thus advancing Mills to Saturday’s Olympic final.
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Meanwhile, in the second heat, Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen, 23, was visibly frustrated after a cameraman walked into his path on the running track.
The incident occurred just ten minutes into the heat when the leading pack ran around the first turn.
In a video shared to X, a myriad of staff and camera operators could be seen standing on the outside lanes of the track as the competitors raced.
It’s not uncommon to see personnel in these circumstances, especially other athletes who need to cross to get to their stations. Marshalls are also supposed to be on hand so that no one can interfere with the runners.
However, officials failed to clock a lone cameraman who was drifting toward the inside lane.
The unknown person eventually strolled into the oncoming runners as they took the bend, causing an uproar.
Luckily none of the runners collided with the cameraman but Ingebrigtsen could be seen gesturing towards the operator in annoyance.
A clip of the incident has since been posted to social media, in which one commentator can be heard saying: “If the camera person gets out the way!”
“They weren’t expecting that, were they?”
Her co-commentator added: “I think Ingebrigtsen’s signal’s to say ‘are you crazy?”
Taking to the comments section of the now-viral moment to have their say, one X user wrote: “Got to always get your shots though.”
A second typed: “I’m in the stadium. That cameraman was completely oblivious to his surroundings filming the javelin throwers. Someone at OBS needs a word…”
“Saw it on the stadium. Amateurish,” complained another. "Really poor by the officials for not watching the track.”
Someone else commented: “Athletes train their whole lives for this and making it or not could be determined by a cameraman and his director not paying attention.”
Despite airing his exasperation, Ingebrigtsen went on to win the men’s 5000m heat with a time of 13:51.59.
Behind him was Ethiopia’s Biniam Mehary, 17, with a time of 13:51.82 and Isaac Kimeli, 30, from Belgium, who clocked 13:52.18.