Controversy was sparked after an Olympic marathon runner knocked over a row of water bottles meant for the other contestants.
During the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the French runner Morhad Amdouni was spotted knocking over a row of water bottles meant for his opponents in the middle of the race. Amdouni then grabs a bottle for himself and continues running.
Thankfully, as noted by 9GAG, there was another water station nearby for the other athletes.
Following the race, Australian long-distance runner Ben St Lawrence tweeted an 8-second clip showing Amdouni pushing the bottles and grabbing the last one for himself. Lawrence captioned the video with a question for his followers:
“Thoughts on Amdouni knocking over an entire row of water before taking the last one?”
Thoughts on Amdouni knocking over an entire row of water before taking the last one? pic.twitter.com/qrPaSzxLBW
— Ben St Lawrence (@bennysaint) August 8, 2021
Former track and field Olympian Tamsyn Manou commented:
“I think it is pretty hard to grab those drinks. But it’s not helpful to the athletes behind him.”
Meanwhile, many social media users slammed the French runner for his mischievous deed.
Hard to believe this is not intentional !! @amdouni_morhad The
French Olympic Committee @FranceOlympique needs to question this guy https://t.co/Q0NWzETNOg— Felix Viana (@neuroviana) August 8, 2021
Morhad Amdouni (France) deliberately knocks over all the water for his fellow contesters in the marathon. Abdi Nageeye (Holland) was directly behind him and didn’t get a bottle. Nageeye won silver. Amdouni finished 17th. Karma is a bitch. #Olympics pic.twitter.com/R9YP64T7OI
— Peter Valstar (@pvalstar) August 8, 2021
Disgusting lack of Olympic spirit and sportsmanship from @amdouni_morhad https://t.co/Awl5YlOgNo
— Myles Edwards (@MylesEdwards) August 8, 2021
Even the famous British TV host Piers Morgan tweeted about the incident:
BREAKING: The Gold medal for biggest d*ckhead of the Tokyo Olympics goes to French marathon runner Morhad Amdouni who deliberately knocks over all the water for his fellow competitors…Unbelievable! pic.twitter.com/D4IwmlAHlL
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) August 8, 2021
Others defend Amdouni, saying that he knocked the bottles over by accident.
Stressing there was another water bottle station for the runners just ahead, many believe the French contestant did not push the bottled on purpose.
Morhad Amdouni took the case to Facebook, explaining that the bottles were too “slippery,” and he was simply “trying to get one from the beginning of the row.”
Nevertheless, Amdouni finished the race in the 17th position, while Kenya’s runner Eliud Kipchoge won his second straight gold medal.
