Chris Robinson was the star of the show at the Golden Spike meeting in Ostrava, but not for the reasons he would have hoped as his penis fell out of his shorts during the 400m hurdles
Hurdler Chris Robinson experienced a rather embarrassing wardrobe mishap at the Golden Spike meeting, as his penis made an unexpected appearance.
While 200m sprint sensation Gout Gout was grabbing headlines in Ostrava for his lightning-fast pace, fellow track star Robinson found himself in the spotlight due to a kit malfunction during the 400m hurdles.
The American athlete, who is a 4x400m hurdles world champion after bagging gold at the World Athletics Relays in May, was hoping to add another feather to his cap in Czechia on Tuesday.
Robinson had a strong start and began gaining on his rivals on the back straight when his manhood decided to join the race with 250m left in the contest.
Throughout the event, the 24-year-old could be seen repeatedly adjusting his shorts in an attempt to rectify the issue, all while sprinting his way into contention, reports the Mirror.
Despite colliding with the final hurdle and continuing to fiddle with his shorts even in the last few metres, Robinson managed a spectacular forward lunge to win the event with an impressive 48.05, given the predicament he was in.
After crossing the finish line first, Robinson lay on the ground, casting a sheepish glance at his competitors, aware that his race had been overshadowed by an unfortunate wardrobe malfunction.
Broadcasters covering the Golden Spike were compelled to apologise to the millions of viewers who had tuned in to watch the action unfold at the Metsky Stadium.
Robinson’s victory turned light-heartedly sour when the TV replay shockingly revealed his privates in full glory during the last 50m stretch.
“That’s a brilliant run by the American to be constantly adjusting certain parts of his equipment and possibly his anatomy down the home straight there around that top bend there,” remarked World Athletics commentator Tim Hutchings post-race.
“He hit that ninth hurdle hard. He was having an equipment failure there. I think that is probably the politest way to put it. There hasn’t been time to censor them, but well done to Chris Robinson for battling a problem that does emerge occasionally.
“Perhaps in a race every two or three years, you see scenes like this from men and women with parts of their equipment failing,” he continued. “It can make it very, very awkward, but that was a stunning effort to stay out in front with all that going on.”
Meanwhile in Czechia, 17-year-old Australian Gout broke his own national 200m record with a scorching 20.02, boldly proclaiming post-race that sub-20 seconds was within reach.
Pole-vault king Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis had his eye on setting the world record bar even higher at 6.29 metres. The reigning world record holder and Olympic champ, who recently hiked his own record to 6.28m, could not add any extra centimetres, maxing out at 6.13m this time round.
