- Mills was fuming with Hay after a shove led to a mass collision in the heat
- The Team GB star initially failed to qualify but was handed a place in the final
- Hay has revealed what he told Mills after the Team GB star confronted him
French athlete Hugo Hay has revealed what told George Mills after the Team GB star angrily confronted him following their 5,000m heat on Wednesday morning.
Mills, the son of former England footballer Danny, squared up to Hay, who he felt caused a mass collision on the final straight of the race.
Replays showed Hay appearing to give Mills a slight push as they ran side-by-side, with the Team GB star then going down in a collision with three others unfortunate runners.
After the race, Mills sought out Hay and confronted him, voicing his opinion, giving the Frenchman a push and then removing their hand from his shoulder as he tried to walk away.
Speaking to media after the race, Hay said: ‘I’m really surprised. I just hope that I didn’t do anything and I will not be disqualified.
Hugo Hay (right) has revealed what he told George Mills during their post-race confrontation
Mills appeared to receive a shove from Hay leading to a collision with Spain’s Thierry Ndikumwenayo
The pair tangled legs and fell hard to the ground on the finishing straight of the 5,000m heat
Dominic Lobalu of the Refugee Olympic Team and Dutchman Mike Foppen had no time to react and also hit the deck – with the latter landing on the back of their head
‘For me, that was nothing. Like I said to George, I will watch the images and if I’m the guy that did it, I will apologise. For me, I didn’t do anything, I just hope that I can go in the final.’
Mills appeared to be nudged into the path of Spain’s Thierry Ndikumwenayo, with both going down after tangling legs.
Refugee Olympic Team athlete Dominic Lobalu and Dutchman Mike Foppen also went to the ground as they didn’t have time to respond to the collision ahead of them. Foppen appeared to land on the back of his head when he hit the ground and was seen holding onto it after he crossed the line.
Fortunately for all four athletes that hit the deck in the collision, they were given a post-race reprieve as officials handed them a spot in the final.
Hay will also be in the race as he finished seventh, with no disqualification handed to the 27-year-old.
When asked to explain by the BBC what happened, Mills said: ‘I think it’s pretty clear. I got stepped out on as I was about to kick on the home straight and boom, the French lad took me down.’
When asked what he told Hay after the race, he responded: ‘I probably wouldn’t be allowed to say.’
He went on to add: ‘From my perspective that was the perfect qualifier for me. Going through the first 2,000 in six minutes. I was like ‘alright – nobody in this field can run away from me at this pace’.
Hay tried to diffuse the situation but Mills gave the Frenchman a small push on the chest
Mills did not appear to be happy with the Frenchman’s response and brushed Hay’s hand off his shoulder before walking away
‘So I was just sitting, waiting and biding my time, gonna kick off down the home straight and bang hit the deck. What can you do?’
Paula Radcliffe, who was covering the race for the BBC, said after the race: ‘There’s a lot to look back at, I lot to tidy up and decide whose fault it was.
‘If you decide to jog that slightly, it’s kind of your own fault. You end up with all of those falls.’
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