Turbulence on the Purple Track: Crashes, Cramps, and a Rogue Cameraman Stir Up Qualifying Session

A routine day at the Olympic track and field qualifiers in Saint-Denis, France, descended into chaos with incidents that included a pileup, a track invasion by a cameraman, and high jump drama.

In the men’s 5,000-meter heats, a four-man pileup emerged as Britain’s George Mills and France’s Hugo Hay tussled elbows. The clash took Mills and three others down. After the race, tension peaked, with Mills accusing Hay, saying, “He took me out. He could have stepped out.” Referees later moved all affected runners, including Mills, who slipped to 18th due to the crash, into the final.

In another twist, a cameraman stepped onto the track during the second heat, forcing runners to dodge him. Although no one collided with the cameraman, American medal hopeful Abdihamid Nur fell in the final stretch, finishing last. The heat’s highlight belonged to Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who qualified first despite a bitter 1,500-meter race loss just 15 hours earlier.

High jump co-champions Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy and Mutaz Barshim from Qatar faced physical challenges. Barshim, battling a calf cramp, saw Tamberi stepping in to provide a quick massage until medics arrived. Barshim managed a 2.27-meter clearance, enough to qualify for the final. Tamberi, already recovering from a recent kidney stone and a bout of fever, also progressed despite troubling signs in his jumps.

The women’s 100-meter hurdles saw Australia’s Michelle Jenneke crashing on the third hurdle, recovering to finish and advance to the repechage round. Defending champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico led the heats with a stunning 12.42 seconds.

Less tumultuous events included the men’s 800 heats led by Kenya’s Emmanuel Wanyonyi and the women’s javelin qualifiers led by Poland’s Maria Andrejczyk. Spain’s Alvaro Martin and Maria Perez triumphed in the race walk mixed relay, ahead of Ecuador and Australia.

Upcoming events will see medals awarded in the women’s pole vault, men’s discus, men’s 400, and men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase. Sprint sensation Noah Lyles aims to secure a double by advancing from the 200-meter semifinals, following his narrow victory in the 100 meters.