A men’s 5,000-meter heat descended in chaos Wednesday after British runner George Mills had a heated exchange with a French rival following an in-race clash at Stade de France.
Mills, the son of former Leeds United and Manchester City right-back Danny Mills, fell during the final lap, along with multiple others, with the 25-year-old claiming France’s Hugo Hay was at fault.
“I think it’s pretty clear. I got stepped out on as I was about to kick in the home straight and boom, the French lad took me down,” Mills, who placed 18th, told BBC, according to The Guardian.
Mills and Hay — who finished the race seventh and was able to qualify for this weekend’s final — had a confrontation after the heat and “were seen arguing and making physical contact,” The Guardian reported.
Though Mills didn’t delve into details of the exchange — “I’m probably not allowed to say” — he would receive an encouraging update about his future participation in the Paris Games.
Upon review by a video referee, officials advanced Mills to Saturday’s final.
The Netherlands’ Mike Foppen, Spain’s Thierry Ndikumwenayo and Dominic Lokinyomo Lobalu of the Refugee Olympic Team, all of whom fell, were also given the green light for the final.
Mills had called the event “the perfect qualifier for me” before learning his finals fate.
“From my perspective that was the perfect qualifier for me, going through first 2k in six minutes. I was like: ‘Nobody in this field can run away from me at this pace’, so I was just sitting, waiting, biding my time, gonna kick off the home straight then bang, hit the deck. What can you do?” he said, per The Guardian.
Meanwhile, Hay alleged someone “pushed” him in the in-race fracas.
“There was a big collision. It’s not me. Somebody pushed me,” he said, according to the Irish Independent. “Something happened, I turned around and everyone was on the floor so I hope it’s not me. I feel really good.”