It turns out that a failed vault could help launch one Olympic athlete into a completely different profession.
The French pole vaulter who went viral after he was eliminated from contention when his manhood knocked the bar off during his final attempt has received an offer to cash in on his newfound fame from an unexpected source: A pornographic website.
Anthony Ammirati reportedly has been offered a whopping $250,000 from CamSoda to showcase his hidden “talent.”
“If it was up to me, I’d award you for what everyone else saw, your talent below the belt,” CamSoda vice-president Daryn Parker told TMZ of the athlete.
“As a lover of crotch-centric activities, I’d love to offer you up to $250,000 US in exchange for a 60-minute webcam show, in which you show off your goods, minus the crossbar, of course.”
Of course, making a quarter-million dollars in an hour is quite the increase from what Ammirati could have made if he had conquered the bar and went on to win gold.
According to CNBC, the bonus for a French athlete to win a gold medal is $87,000.
Ammirati’s infamous attempt came with the bar at 5.70 metres. He looked set to clear it on his third vault until he clipped the bar with his bulge. The miss forced the Frenchman to settle for 12th place and miss out on qualifying for the final, which was won by Sweden’s Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis on Monday.
Following the viral moment, the 21-year-old admitted his frustration at missing out on a chance at a medal in Paris – but didn’t exactly place any blame on his private parts.
“It’s a big disappointment,” Ammirati told the French Athletics Federation. “I’m a bit gutted because I didn’t miss anything on the third attempt at 5.70 m. What I did miss was a bit of jumping in training to fine-tune the settings. Just a technical session.”
He added: “I was 100% physically, but I was missing a bit of pole vault.
“The conditions were good. It’s the first time I’ve started a competition without any stress.
“As I was a total outsider, I only had one goal: To interact with the audience. I was almost there.”