French Olympic diver Alexis Jandard lost his footing at the pivotal moment and slipped off the springboard before accidentally landing headfirst into the pool – in what couldn’t have been worse timing in front of France President Emmanuel Macron. Jandard was among those to open the new £154million Aquatic Centre for Paris 2024, with Macron one of the high-profile figures in attendance.
Macron officially inaugurated the venue ahead of the Olympic Games to be held in Paris this summer, before Jandard was set to perform alongside two other divers. However, while his fellow competitors executed the synchronised performance, Jandard appeared to slip on the 3m springboard, slam his back and bounce into the pool.
Jandard will have been lamenting losing his balance at the worst possible time, as he landed awkwardly on his right foot before toppling over. However, he has since confirmed that only his ego was damaged, and that he didn’t pick up an unfortunate injury in the process on the eve of the Games.
Video footage has gone viral on social media, with Jandard spotted with a red back, though he took the incident well and posted on social media with the caption: “j’ai glisse chef”, translated to: “I slipped chief”.
He graciously posted a “debrief” on Instagram in which he joked: “I fell in front of the president. I fell in front of the whole of France.” The Tokyo 2020 Olympian then made light of the situation further and explained that his fans could taunt him: “Honestly, I really deserve it.”
Jandard, who has represented France twice at the World Aquatics Championships, explained that despite “a little bit of blood” he was unharmed and would even attend training later in the day.
Fortunately, Jandard was able to see the comical side of slipping in front of Macron at the new venue which will host water polo, diving and synchronised swimming next to the Stade de France in Saint-Denis.
He added to French outlet RMC Sport: “I want to reassure you right away, there is no problem. Everything is fine. I didn’t hurt myself, these are things that happen unfortunately. It came at a time when I wasn’t expecting it at all. These are things that happen but don’t usually happen to me. I’ve broken boards before but the board has never broken me before.
“I arrived on my support and my leg gave out. I didn’t slip or anything. Afterwards I fell on the board. It’s non-slip and what’s more, the board was new, beautiful, and I think there’s still my back on the board there. Small hazards.
“Plus it was live so obviously we ended up like that. It’s a shame but it’s funny. When you take a step back, it’s funny.”
