Pushing and shoving in one race on the track. A cameraman walking into the action in another. Leg cramps and untimely misses in the field.
The often-routine qualifying rounds at Olympic track and field took some strange turns Wednesday with a four-man pileup in one men's 5,000-meter heat, a cameraman who walked into the other and drama in the high jump that left the defending co-champions in dire straits.
The biggest crash came in the first of two men's 5,000 heats when Britain's George Mills and France's Hugo Hay traded elbows, triggering a pileup involving Mills and three others who came crashing down like dominoes.
After the race, Mills shoved his finger in Hay's face and Hay, who stayed upright despite the earlier contact, pushed Mills.
"He took me out," said Mills, the British silver medalist at the European Championship in June. "He could have stepped out."
Mills, who finished 18th in the race due to the crash, said he figured that because "Hay is French and we're in France" he had little chance of being moved through to the final. But the referee determined Mills and the three others were disadvantaged by the contact and moved all into the final.
Mills told the BBC that he had been stepped on.
"I think it's pretty clear. I got stepped on as I was about to kick in the home straight and boom, the French lad took me down," Mills said, according to The Guardian.
There was more drama in the second heat when a cameraman moseying across the racing surface stepped in the path of the runners midway through the race. Everyone changed course without incident, but heading into the final stretch, American runner Abdihamid Nur, a medal contender, fell and finished last.
About the only thing that went as expected was two-time world champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway qualifying first in 13 minutes, 51.59 seconds. Ingebrigtsen was competing less than 15 hours after he stunningly failed to finish in the medals in the 1,500.
Gianmarco Tamberi and Mutaz Barshim, who famously agreed to share the gold medal in Tokyo took their friendship to a new level during a difficult qualifying round.
Both advanced despite physical issues. At one point, with Barshim writhing in pain with what looked like a cramp in his calf, Tamberi came over and massaged his buddy's leg. Later, the medical staff took over.
Barshim finished in good enough shape to clear 2.27 meters, which put him into Saturday's final.
Both gentlemen could use some rest.
