French athlete Mahiedine Mehkissi took his shirt off as he approached the winning line of the 3000 metres steeplechase at the European Championships in Switzerland yesterday (Thursday 14th July). Waving it around his head and carrying it in his mouth was his way of celebrating. The athlete who came 4th - a perfidious Spaniard, apparently used to resorting to the judges - appealed and Mekhissi was duly disqualified. The rules require runners to display the number on their bibs at all times during a race. Mekhissi is by all accounts a fairly unpopular fellow, who once pushed a child mascot over! Bet he kicks kittens too. The judges were not entirely anti-French, as in the steeplechase the second man home was also French and therefore picked up the gold medal and in the 110 metres hurdles the 4th finisher was French and he was promoted thanks to the disqualification of the bronze medallist - also French! Pascal Martinot-Lagarde said he deserved to be promoted as he "felt in his heart" that he was the best.
Happily Benjamin Compaore won the triple jump for France simply by making the longest jump and keeping his shirt on.
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