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‘I felt bad for your butt’, France’s Emmanuel Macron tells diver who fell, crashed into water

  • Alexis Jandard fell on the diving board and crashed into the water in front of Macron at the opening early this month of the aquatics centre for the 2024 Paris Olympics
  • But Macron praised the two-time world championship medallist’s ability to laugh at himself and can-do attitude

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French diver Alexis Jandard, who has qualified for the Paris Games, falls while diving, as the French president inaugurates the Olympic Aquatics Centre for the Paris 2024 Olympics. Photo: AFP
French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday praised the diver who embarrassingly crashed into the water in front of the head of state during the inauguration of the Olympic pool, while quipping that he “felt bad for your butt”.
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Alexis Jandard, a two-time world championship medallist, became a social media sensation when he fell on the diving board and crashed into the water in front of Macron at the opening early this month of the aquatics centre for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

After the mishap, he took to social media to mock his own misfortune and then made clear he was targeting a podium place this summer, winning widespread praise.

On Monday, Jandard made a surprise appearance by video link at the end of Macron’s interview with broadcasters BFMTV and RMC.

Alexis Jandard, a two-time world championship medallist, falls on the diving board and before crashing into the water in front of Macron at the opening early this month of the aquatics centre for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Photo: AFP
Alexis Jandard, a two-time world championship medallist, falls on the diving board and before crashing into the water in front of Macron at the opening early this month of the aquatics centre for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Photo: AFP

“I felt bad for your butt and your lower back, if I may say so,” a smiling Macron told Jandard during their exchange.

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