Pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati jokes about viral wave ‘buzz’

French pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati reacted to him going viral during the Paris 2024 Olympics when it emerged his crotch was interfering with his jump.

The 21-year-old newly crowned Olympic champion shared a TikTok video of himself staring into space while eating lunch at the Olympic Village. In the video, which was soundtracked by “Sad Spongebob Music,” he wrote in French: “POV: you make more buzz for your package than for your performances.” Translated, his message means: “POV: you make more buzz for your package than for your performances.”

“I don’t really know if I should take it well or not 😂 #olympics #paris2024”, he added in the caption, which means in English “I don’t really know if I should be well or not 😂”.

Fans rushed to the comments section to join in on the joke. “A win is a win,” several users wrote while another added, “This is a HUGE accomplishment.” Another commenter urged Calvin Klein to “immediately give this man an ad campaign.”

Ammirati gained worldwide attention during his pole vault heat at the 2024 Summer Olympics on August 3, when his crotch hit the crossbar. The image went viral on social media, and his crotch became a hot topic of conversation, with many expressing sadness that his manhood may have cost him a medal and landed him in 12th place. In reality, Ammirati’s bulge had nothing to do with his failed vault. He hit the bar first with his shins, then with his knees.

The Olympic athlete initially made no mention of his viral fame in a statement released by the French Athletics Federation shortly after the event.

“It’s a big disappointment,” he said. “The conditions were good. It’s the first time I’ve started a competition without stress. As I was a total outsider, I had only one goal: to play with the crowd. I was almost there.”

Ammirati also noted that he was “frustrated” by the results in a joint Instagram post with French sports academy Envol.

Although the athlete failed to win a medal at the Games in his home country, he landed a lucrative job offer.

Ammirati’s misfortune and viral fame caught the attention of adult entertainment company CamSoda, which offered her $250,000 in exchange for a 60-minute webcam show. In a letter obtained by Us Weekly, CamSoda vice president Daryn Parker offered Ammirati to show off her “assets” in exchange for the hefty paycheck.

“Even if you didn’t win the gold medal, you can still win it from your fans via CamSoda. That has to count for something, right?” the offer read. “Plus, you won’t have to put up with those restrictive compression shorts, so feel free to let it all out and show the world why you should host your own Olympic competition next time.”