Um, I’m sorry, but did anybody else see the video of the French runner shoving the pint-sized mascot at the end of his race? Holy moly. It seriously reminded me of something out of a Sasha Baron Cohen movie. It is worth noting that inside of the mascot was a 14-year old girl, by the way. The whole thing is pretty wacky. The saying goes that there is no such thing as bad press, but I can tell you that this guy isn’t boosting his reputation by shoving teenaged-mascots on the racetrack. If you haven’t yet seen the bizarre “victory moves” of this French athlete, feast your eyes on this crazy video:
ABC News reported today,
“A French Olympic runner has developed a reputation for the way he marks the end of his races.
Instead of throwing up his hands in a victory sign or congratulating his fellow competitors on a race well run, Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad has taken to attacking mascots.
After winning the 3,000-meter steeplechase race at the European Athletic Championships in Helsinki Friday, the Algerian-born runner, 27, went straight from the finish line to a teenage girl dressed as the championship’s mascot, “Appy,” knocked a gift bag out of her hands and shoved her.
The entire episode was captured on camera as it unfolded before thousands of shocked fans.
The girl, 14, suffered no injuries from the attack but Mekhissi-Benabbad might suffer some consequences from his sport.”
Click here to read about the repercussions Mekhissi-Benabbad could face for his unruly behavior.
The good news is that the mascot is fine, and suffered no injuries from the “attack.” And now Mekhissi-Benabbad will be forced to wear a mascot costume of the girl’s choosing, and will get pushed around the track to see how he likes it. Totally kidding with that one. But I’m still waiting to see what the consequences will be for the talented–but apparently somewhat violent–Frenchie.
