In a refreshment station of the Olympic marathon, Morhad Amdouni knocked over several drinking bottles, the competition reached into nothing. Now the Frenchman has responded to allegations that he deliberately wanted to disadvantage his opponents.
After his controversial behavior at a refreshment station for the Olympic marathon, the French runner Morhad Amdouni responded via Instagram and Facebook to allegations of having behaved unfairly towards his opponents. The 33-year-old has since withdrawn a post.
TV pictures from last Sunday’s race in Sapporo had shown Amdouni clearing almost all of the water bottles provided on a table in order to then grab the last one – the competitors running right behind him go away empty-handed at temperatures of 30 degrees and extreme humidity. Numerous users assumed that Amdouni was intentional and grossly unsportsmanlike, while others tried to explain the scene with the Frenchman’s advanced exhaustion and correspondingly more difficult hand-eye coordination.
Amdouni justifies the bottle campaign with fatigue
Amdouni also argued in this direction in a video message on Instagram. He has gradually lost his clarity and energy, according to the European 10,000 and 5000 meter champions of 2018. “I would like to apologize to all the athletes. I tried to hold onto a bottle of water, but it fell down”, he carried out. Amdouni denied that he had acted unsportingly. Rather, he even supported his competitors. “During the race, I tried to share bottles of water to respect everyone.” He personally ran out of strength shortly after the incident at 30 km, explained Amdouni, who had to take walking breaks and ended up in 17th place.
Facebook account and post can no longer be accessed
Shortly after his video statement, the 33-year-old also took a position on Facebook. In the post, which has now either been deleted or placed on private, Amdouni had seen the guilt less in his physical condition than in the quality of the bottles. To keep them cool, they would be stored in water. “That makes them slippery. It is clear that I wanted to take one at the beginning of the row, but they slipped when I touched them,” said Amdouni.
Why the Frenchman withdrew the post a little later – the account is also no longer accessible – is not known. In the more than 1,000 comments posted under the post up to then, Amdouni was met with harsh criticism, for the most part unchanged. This cannot happen to him with his video message on Instagram. The comment function is deactivated there.
Instagram / Facebook
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
