French Marathoner Drops Water Bottles in Supply Zone... Controversy Over 'Intentional' Act

Mohad Amdouni dropping water bottles at the water station. Photo by Ben St Lawrence (Twitter video capture)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Seohyun] Mohad Amdouni (33), a French athlete who participated in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic marathon, has been embroiled in controversy for allegedly deliberately knocking over competitors' water bottles during the race, except for his own water bottle.

On the 8th, Australian track and field athlete Ben St Lawrence posted a tweet criticizing Amdouni's actions along with a video.

On that day, the men's marathon was held at Odori Park in Sapporo, Japan, under scorching heat of about 29 degrees Celsius. At the 28km point of the marathon course, there was a hydration station where athletes could drink water.

During the race, when the athletes arrived at the hydration station, they took their own water bottles and continued the race. However, Amdouni knocked over all the water bottles in the front row of the table and then picked up the last remaining water bottle.

Japanese volunteers, seeing the water bottles fall to the ground, tried to catch them in surprise but were unable to do so. This entire incident was captured live on TV broadcast.

Ben St Lawrence posted this scene with the caption, "What are your thoughts on Amdouni knocking over the water bottles and taking the last one?" The video garnered over 2.9 million views, fueling the controversy.

In response, British famous broadcaster Piers Morgan tweeted insults calling him "the biggest idiot of the Olympics" and accused him of "intentionally knocking over competitors' water bottles."

Netizens expressed critical reactions such as "selfish behavior," "athletes could get hurt because of the fallen water bottles," and "lack of sportsmanship."

However, there were also supportive comments like "It seems like a simple accident," and "It's difficult to grab just one water bottle while running."

The US New York Post explained, "Fortunately, there was another hydration station right in front that other athletes could use."

Meanwhile, Amdouni finished in 17th place that day.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.