George Mills was embroiled in a contentious confrontation with France’s Hugo Hay following a collision during his 5,000m heat, but the British runner was reinstated alongside three other competitors who had fallen.
Hay managed to stay upright after several runners, including Mills, fell in the final lap’s home straight, allowing the French athlete to secure a spot in Saturday’s final. However, after they crossed the finish line, Mills and Hay were observed in a heated argument, with Mills gesturing emphatically at Hay.
Mills asserted that Hay was to blame for the incident, and officials concurred that the British athlete had been wronged, allowing him to proceed to the final after a review by the video referee.
Mills, the son of former Leeds and England full-back Danny, expressed to the BBC: “It’s pretty obvious. I got pushed out while preparing to sprint down the home straight, and boom, the French guy took me down.” When asked about his confrontation with Hay, he responded, “I’m probably not allowed to repeat what I said.”
Before being informed of his reinstatement, Mills added: “That qualifier was ideal for me, finishing the first 2k in six minutes. I felt like nobody in this field could outrun me at that pace, so I was just sitting back, waiting to gear up for the home straight, and then bam, I hit the ground. What’s there to do?”
Former Olympic silver medallist Steve Cram, who was commentating for the BBC, remarked: “George found himself in a difficult position from quite far out; he should have made his move much sooner.”
“From what I observed, George did make a significant push in the home straight. There are many experienced runners in that field, and while everyone believes they can excel, when the pace slows dramatically, the likelihood of falls increases significantly.”
The other athletes who fell and will compete again include Dominic Lokinyomo Lobalu (IOC Refugee Team), Mike Foppen (Netherlands), and Thierry Ndikumwenayo (Spain).
