Great Britain runner George Mills has been reinstated in the men's 5,000-meter final at the Paris Olympics after he fell during the qualifying heat, which he blamed on French runner Hugo Hay.
Mills, the son of former English Premier League soccer player Danny Mills, was one of five runners who fell during the final lap of the first 5,000-meter heat Wednesday.
First was Canada's Mohammed Ahmed, who tumbled on his own and finished 16th. Ahmed will not advance to the final, even though appealed and claimed Hay clipped him in the back, according to the CBC.
During the homestretch, a chain reaction sent four other runners toppling. Mills appeared to wobble first after he got tangled up with Hay, subsequently taking down Spain's Thierry Ndikumwenayo, Team Refugee’s Dominic Lokinyomo Lobalu and the Netherlands' Mike Foppen.
At first, the four runners did not qualify for the final after they missed out on the top eight, but the referee later advanced them to the final. Hay automatically advanced as the seventh-place finisher.
After the race, Mills walked up to Hay and appeared to exchange several harsh words, pointing his finger at Hay in anger.
The 5,000-meter final Saturday will now feature a more crowded field, with 20 runners vying for the podium.
Among them will be two-time reigning world champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway, who posted the fastest time in both qualifying heats. Ingebrigtsen had just missed the podium in the 1,500-meter final Tuesday after he won the gold in that event in Tokyo.
Team USA will be represented by Grant Fisher, the 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter U.S. champion, as well as Graham Blanks, who finished sixth in the first heat after having avoided the trip-up with Mills.