Thierry Ndikumwenayo of Team Spain and George Mills of Team Great Britain fell during the men’s 5000m Round 1 on day twelve of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de France on August 7, 2024.

It was a chaotic scene on the track Wednesday morning, as a collision at the home stretch of the men’s 5,000m race ended with multiple runners hitting the ground.

Four athletes took a tumble during the race, which involved heavy pushing and shoving. Great Britain’s George Mills, Spain’s Thierry Ndikumwenayo, Team Refugee’s Dominic Lobalu, and the Netherlands’ Mike Foppen all went down during the race.

Britain’s George Mills and France’s Hugo Hay traded elbows, triggering a pileup that caused Mills and three others to crash like dominoes. After the race, Mills pointed his finger at Hay, and Hay, who stayed upright despite the earlier contact, pushed Mills.

“He took me out,” said Mills, the British silver medalist at the European Championship in June. “He could have stepped out.”

Mills, who finished 18th in the race due to the crash, expressed his frustration, saying he figured that because “Hay is French and we’re in France,” he had little chance of being moved through to the final. However, the referee determined that Mills and the three others were disadvantaged by the contact and moved all four into the final.

As a result, all four runners were given a place in Saturday’s final, which will now have 20 runners.

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