Olympic 5000m frenzy: George Mills and other runners fall after chaotic collision

After just coming to grips with the chaos of the women’s 5000m final, we’ve been hit with more turmoil in the men’s 5000m heats. Four athletes, including Britain’s George Mills, stumbled to the ground, with a rogue cameraman adding to the confusion by wandering onto the track.

The drama for the women unfolded on Monday, August 5th, when Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon, who initially placed second, was briefly disqualified and stripped of her silver medal due to mid-race interference with Ethiopia’s Guduf Tsegay. A swift appeal reversed the penalty, and Kipyegon was reinstated as the silver medalist.

However, this morning, August 7th, the men’s race took a more physical turn. Although the summer sky was clear, tensions rose during the first heat of the 5000m, as each competitor fought to finish in the top eight and secure a spot in the final on August 10th.

The first ten laps went smoothly, but just before the bell, Mills nearly fell, managing to regain his balance. Unfortunately, Canada’s Mohammed Ahmed, who had been leading, wasn’t as lucky and crashed to the ground, then scrambled to catch up with the pack.

In the final stretch of the 12.5-lap race, chaos erupted. Mills and France’s Hugo Hay clashed, reminiscent of the Kipyegon-Tsegay incident in the women’s final. Mills fell, taking down Spain’s Thierry Ndikumwenayo, the Refugee Olympic Team’s Dominic Lokinyomo Lobalu, and the Netherlands’ Mike Foppen. Foppen even tumbled with a forward roll after accelerating at a crucial point in the race.

While the affected athletes were left in shock, and Mills visibly upset, Norway’s Narve Gilje Nordas powered through to win, sharing a congratulatory fist-bump with Ethiopia’s Hagos Gebrhiwet, who finished second. Meanwhile, Team GB’s Patrick Dever, who had been near the front for most of the race, finished in 13th place.

As for the fallen athletes, Mills, incensed by the incident, confronted Hay, accusing him of causing the collision. Mills claimed Hay pushed him in an attempt to move ahead, leading to the pile-up.

Hay, however, denied the accusation, stating that he was pushed by someone else and merely reacted by raising his elbow. Fortunately, after reviewing the footage, officials agreed that Mills, Ndikumwenayo, Lobalu, and Foppen were disadvantaged and granted them places in the final, increasing the number of competitors to 20 instead of the usual 16.

But the drama didn’t end there. In the second heat, just four laps from the finish, the runners encountered an unexpected obstacle: a cameraman, likely distracted by the field events, had wandered onto the track, causing a stir among the athletes.

Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who won the heat with the fastest time of 13:51.59, was visibly frustrated by the incident, gesturing at the cameraman to move as others dodged around him.

After a disappointing fourth-place finish in the 1500m final the previous night, Ingebrigtsen is now more determined than ever to excel in the 5000m. The reigning world champion in the event, he’s aiming for gold in Paris later this week, or at the very least, a podium finish.

Let’s hope the final brings less chaos.