There was high drama during the heats of the men's 5000m at the Olympics on Wednesday morning, as several runners took a fall at the Stade de France.
A tense heat took time to bubble up before a sprint finish was set up going into the final lap. A faller approaching the bell created difficulty for some runners near the back of the pack, but the real drama was to come in the race's closing stages.
Coming off the final bend, Britain's George Mills was neck-and-neck with Frenchman Hugo Hay as they battled to work their way into the top eight and the qualifying positions for the final.
Mills appeared to clash with Hay and tumbled to the ground. The altercation caused chaos, as several other runners tripped over the stricken Brit in the middle of the final straight.
Four runners were knocked down, with Mike Foppen of the Netherlands taking a fall over the three runners lying on the track.
Spain's Thierry Ndikumwenayo would fail to finish the race after his tumble, with Foppen and Mills finishing almost half a minute off the winner of the heat winner Narve Gilje Nordas of Norway.
As the dust settled on the chaotic end to the race, Mills aggressively confronted Frenchman Hay for his alleged role in the collision.
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Multiple fallers during 5000m heats at Stade de France
Cameras would pick up George Mills approaching Hugo Hay and shoving the Frenchman, seeming to place the blame at the home hero's door for the multi-runner collision.
Emotions run high as George Mills confronts Hugo Hay following his fall in the 5000m heats 😬#Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/bHTmlTeFEy
— Eurosport (@eurosport) August 7, 2024
Mills spoke to Eurosport in the moments after the race and doubled down on his frustration with the French runner.
The Brit would appear to suggest that any appeal would be hopeless due to Hay's status as a French runner at a home Olympics.
This lad came and took me out. He stepped out, took me out.
It's out of my control now. Being in France and a French guy taking me out, I can't see much happening.
It turned into a sprint finish. Me stepping up to the 5000 suits me a lot. I dodged one fall coming into the bell, just about missed that. I just got taken out and went down about 80 metres out. I don't know how it looked but I knew I was boxed in
It was a strange assertion, especially considering the blame for their collision appeared to be roughly 50-50.
Shortly thereafter, it looked even stranger, as officials confirmed that Mills' appeal had been successful and that he would be advanced to Saturday's 5000m final.
Following this morning's 5000m heat, George Mills has been advanced to Saturday's final.#Paris2024 | #Athletics pic.twitter.com/oZyAp6XHMZ
— British Athletics (@BritAthletics) August 7, 2024
Mills' father Danny was well known as a professional footballer, lining out for England at the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea.
Looking back over Mills Sr's career, it perhaps becomes clear where George got his aggression from - a comparison several sporting fans were quick to make on social media after Wednesday morning's drama.
George Mills 🤝 Danny Mills pic.twitter.com/XTijkLNmW9
— David Coverdale (@dpcoverdale) August 7, 2024
A dramatic morning at the Olympics in Paris.
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