The men's 5,000-meter final at the Paris Olympics on Saturday is going to be more crowded than expected. Five runners fell in the first of two heats on Wednesday. None of them made it to the final eight, but the referee has decided that four of them can advance to the final, which will now have 20 runners instead of the usual 16, NBC News reports. In a chain reaction that brought down three other runners, British runner George Mills fell after colliding with France's Hugo Hay, who remained on his feet and made it into the last eight of the heat. Video of the heat can be seen here.
Mills blamed Hay for the collision and confronted him after they crossed the finish line. "I got stepped out on as I was about to kick in the home straight and boom, the French lad took me down," Mills told the BBC. After reviewing video, the referee said the four could advance. Canadian runner Moh Ahmed, who won silver in Paris, also fell slightly earlier in the race, but his appeal to advance was rejected. He told the CBC that he had been clipped from behind by Hay.
In addition to Mills, Thierry Ndikumwenayo of Spain, Dominic Lokinyomo Lobalu of Team Refugee, and Mike Foppen of the Netherlands will advance to Saturday's race. CBS News reports that there was more drama in the second heat when a cameraman wandered onto the track, forcing runners to change course. (More 2024 Paris Olympics stories.)
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
