French Pole Vaulter Who Went Viral Jokes About the 'Buzz for' His 'Package'

Anthony Ammirati knows you're talking about him — he just wishes it was for a different reason.

The French pole vaulter went viral on Aug. 3 after a video of one of his pole vault attempts from the Paris Olympics made it appear like he knocked down the crossbar with his "bulge."

In reality, Ammirati failed the jump before his crotch hit the bar — he first hit it with his shins, followed by his knees.

Ammirati, 21, was a good sport about the situation and even got in on the fun, posting a TikTok about it on Aug. 5.

In the video, Ammirati looks off into the distance with a somewhat stunned look in his eyes as he chows down on pizza in the Olympic Village dining hall.

Over the video, the first-time Olympian wrote in French, "POV: tu fais plus de buzz pour ton paquet que pour tes perfs," which roughly translates to, "POV: You create more buzz for your package than your performances."

He continued to joke in the caption, which translates to, "I don't really know if I should take it well or not 😂."

Ammirati did not ultimately qualify for the pole vault final, as each athlete gets three attempts to make increasingly higher jumps, starting at 5.40 meters, during qualifiers. Ammirati made the first two heights — at 5.40 and 5.60 — but in his tries at making the next height, 5.70 meters, he was unsuccessful. Nine other men hit the mark and qualified for the final.

In a Google translated statement to the French Athlete's Federation, Ammirati said failing to make it to the final was "a big disappointment."

"It’s the first time I’ve started a competition without any stress," said Ammirati. "As I was a total outsider, I only had one goal: to play with the public. I was almost there."

Swedish pole vaulter Armand "Mondo" Duplantis was ultimately the victor in the men's pole vault, and set a world record in the process.

To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, come to people.com to check out ongoing coverage before, during and after the games. And sign up for Going for Gold, our Olympics newsletter, to get the biggest stories from the Games delivered straight to your inbox. Watch the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, beginning July 26, on NBC and Peacock.