Hiroki Ogita will forever be known as the Japanese pole vaulter who achieved instant internet fame after he was apparently knocked out of the Rio Olympics by his own penis.
The 28-year-old didn’t make it through the event’s qualifying round in Rio on Saturday after his appendage appeared to hit the bar.
“Unfortunate Dick Accident” was the title of one especially sensitive YouTube video of the incident, while others remarked along the lines of “the only time a man wished he had a smaller penis!”
But in a series of tweets, Ogita has denied his genitals were responsible for his exit and appeared slightly bruised by the reaction: “I never expected the foreign media to take me down like this.
“It’s one thing if it was true, but I have to say I’m pretty devastated that they’d go so far to make something up to mock and ridicule me so much.”
Pole vaulting coach David Yeo told the BBC the incident was more likely to be down to an unfortunate camera angle.
“He had already pressed on the crossbar so much. The crossbar was bound to dislodge. I think it was just the crumpling of the fabric which happened at the wrong position.”
Nonetheless, while his ego might be slightly battered, Ogita has since shown himself to be a good sport and admitted it was a little amusing.
He later tweeted: “Watching again, this is pretty funny, if I say so myself. LOL.”