Runner gets tangled by runaway pole vault warmup bar during race
During an 800m heat at Friday’s Irish University Indoor Championships, runner Niall Atwood, who was in the lead for the final lap, was interfered by a pole vault warmup bar that flew on the track.
You can see on the far right of the video that a pole vaulter hit the bar, which snapped off and flew toward the track. The tail end of it caught Atwood’s neck and wrapped around it. He then tried to take it off while running, but it ended up tangled in his legs. According to RTE, Atwood automatically placed into the final because of the interference and ultimately finished eighth in said final.
The race’s commentator stole a bit of the spotlight, however, when he said the incident was like “Spider-Man threw something at him.” Also, I learned the expression “Janey Mac” because of the commentary.
Apparently, it’s a roundabout Irish way of saying “Jesus Christ.” I’d prefer saying “Janey Mac” over something like “cheese and rice,” the latter of which only brings gross images to my head. Who eats rice with cheese?
