Olympic Skateboarder Says Cameraman Refused to Move Away
An Olympic skateboarder claims that he flew into a “moment of rage” after the camera operator ignored his warning to move out of the way before doing a trick.
Colombia’s Jhancarlos Gonzalez competed in the men’s street skateboarding prelims at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France on Monday.
Jhancarlos Gonzalez pozdrowił drona transmisyjnego podczas zawodów deskorolkowych. Wcześniej zgłaszał, że kamera mu przeszkadza w próbie.#skateboard #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/l0Ba1C4lGY
— Jakub Stanclik (@JakubMMA) July 29, 2024
However, Gonzalez finished bottom of the event and failed to qualify for the men’s street skateboarding final at the Olympics.
According to The Metro, during his run, Gonzalez — who is ranked the 22nd best skateboarder in the world — was unable to land a trick on a rail and landed awkwardly on his back.
As he got to his feet, Gonzalez angrily stared straight at the overheard camera that was filming him. He then noticed a second camera that was shooting the event and stuck his middle finger up at the lens.
‘I Warned Him’
Gonzalez was heavily criticized for his actions. In an Instagram post published on Tuesday, the skateboarder expressed remorse for the gesture at the camera.
“I wanted to thank all the people who watched me and supported me, it didn’t go very well, I tried to do my best but it wasn’t my day, I got hurt a little,” the skateboarder writes.
‘I already had a blow and I did not want to hit myself again and I apologize for my gesture towards World Skate Skateboarding and World Skate official, to the people, children, and family who saw me.”
However, Gonzalez also claimed that his angry outburst occurred after an Olympic camera operator ignored his request to step aside before he skated down the rail for the event.
The skateboarder alleged that he had warned the camera operator to stay away from him — as he was directly in the area where he was about to do a trick and he feared they might collide with one another.
“But it was a moment of rage where they put the camera in front of me,” Gonzalez says.
“It was the place where I was going to skate and I thought he might hit me, I warned him not to put it in front of the obstacles, this won’t be the last time I try it, for now, I don’t feel like skating.”
The incident comes after an Olympic gold medallist was left distraught after photographers broke his table tennis paddle immediately after his first win.
