An exclusive interview with a pole vaulter's bulge

Anthony Ammirati's private parts cost him at the Olympics.

Host country France has dominated these Olympics thanks to breakout stars like swimmer Leon Marchand and judoka Teddy Riner. But over the last few days, the bigger story has been a French athlete who didn’t medal: pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati, who went viral after his prodigious package caught on the crossbar, ending his dreams of Olympic glory.

Ammirati’s bulge has become the laughingstock of the Paris Games, a fact that seems to be weighing heavily on it when we first meet in a small patisserie near the Olympic Village. This groin was prepared for glory (and its accompanying penile perks). Instead, it has had to adjust to sudden Olympic infamy — a latter-day Richard (family) Jewell(s).

We leave the shop and stroll towards the Seine. The world’s most famous pole vaulting penis tries to keep a low profile, but it’s hard to avoid the gawking and gasps of passers-by. Nevertheless, I’m able to sneak a few questions in, which Ammirati’s bulge answers in a thick French accent as the sun sets over Paris.