A wardrobe malfunction has forced Italian Decathlon athlete Alberto Nonino, 18, to finish last in the 400-metre race at the 2022 World Athletics U20 Championships in Cali, Colombia on Wednesday (3).
He started really good and went past two rivals on the last bend. Later, he slowed down noticeably and was filmed grabbing his crotch up to six times as his competitors went past him and ended up last, media reports said.
The teenager's problems down below were immediately cited as the reason for his slow-down.
"Last series of the 400 meters decathlon. The Italian Alberto Nonino in lane five begins very well but crosses the finishing line last. He had his p**** out, literally," sports journalist David Sanchez de Castro wrote on Twitter with footage of Nonino’s embarrassing moment.
"Perhaps I’ve explained myself poorly. His penis escaped out of the side of his shorts and he had to hold it because it wasn’t allowing him to run properly which is normal when your dongle is swinging from side to side."
Many on social media said Nonino’s slow 51.57 seconds 400 metres was the result of him opting to run without underpants.
Later, the athlete clarified that problems in the 'trouser department' was the reason for his poor performance.
"I just want to talk to you a little bit about the rumpus there’s been on blogs and social media in general. I’m conscious it was obviously an accident and I’d like to tell you I’m aware of the reaction and you don’t need to send me the links to the blogs out there," he wrote on Instagram.
"I’m trying to laugh about it now but immediately afterwards I felt terrible and I’m thankful to my friends and family for helping me get over what happened a few hours later."
"The journalistic world worries about cases of bullying throughout Italy and around the world and then publishes these articles that for a more sensitive person could have done a lot of harm," he added.
Many advised Nonino to wear pants in future and use the right shorts for long-distance events.
