George Mills gets into heated exchange after four-runner collision in 5,000-meter heat
A late collision in a men’s 5,000-meter heat wiped out four competitors, briefly jeopardizing their chances to run in the distance event’s final and causing tensions to flare between a pair of runners.
Great Britain’s George Mills was among the athletes who got tangled up with France’s Hugo Hay as a large group of runners rounded the final turn before the finish line. And he was not happy about it.
Mills confronted Hays at the finish line and had words.
“I think it’s pretty clear,” Mills told the BBC. “I got stepped on.”
You can view the collision below.
Luckily for Mills, Hay and the two other athletes tangled up — the Netherland’s Mike Foppen and Spain’s Theirry Ndikumwenayo — all four were advanced to the finals by the race referee. That will prevent too much heartache and hopefully ease any tensions between the French and British athletes over the collision.
Mills has been considered a potential contender for a medal in the 5,000-meter event, having won silver at the European championships in 2024.
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He is the son of former English footballer Danny Mills, something fans joked about on social media when he looked poised to have a brief scrap with Hay.
In any case, all of the runners can now put the 5,000-meter incident behind them. Of course, the memory will linger fresh and it may alter how they choose to run the final, perhaps trying to separate from the large pack a bit sooner than the final turn.
Still, after the dust settled on the collision, Mills was pleased with his run.
“From my perspective that was the perfect qualifier for me, going through the first 2k in six minutes,” Mills told the BBC. “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?”
The 5000-meter final will take place on Saturday, Aug. 10.