AN OLYMPIC pole vaulter failed to clear his target height after his bulge caught the bar.

Anthony Ammirati was representing the host nation, France, in the event at the Paris Olympics.

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The athlete, 21, had already cleared two heights ahead of his third vault of 5.70 metres.

Ammirati looked like he was set to clear the pole until a sensitive part of his body caught it.

Viewers were left shocked as they took to social media.

One posted: “Ammirati failed the bar and the commentators are clearly having a hard time acknowledging what happened. Help, I’m dying haha.”

A second shared: “Those long poles Jesus.”

A third wrote: “From pole to pole.”

A fourth said: “Well, you win some you lose some.”

A fifth commented: “The best way to lose… man’s ego is still there.”

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Another added: “I wanted to post this but I’m PG-13.”

For the French team it meant that none of their three athletes will be in the pole vault final.

Robin Emig failed to clear the 5.60 metres height while Thibaut Collet could not get past the 5.75 metres height.

Collet had become the third best French performing in pole vault history in June as he cleared a bar at 5.95 metres.

After finishing 14th, he said: “When people say that the Games are different, well, it really is different.

“I thought it wouldn’t necessarily affect me by arriving with potentially the third world performance of the year, but that doesn’t mean anything.

“Today, I missed my competition. I knew that this qualification was going to be tough and now I’m taking it in the face.

“The Olympic Games are over , I’m going to pack my bag and now we’re going home.”

The pole vault event final will be on Monday.