‘I think she’s a bit embarrassed’ – Shot put star had priceless reaction after flooring cameraman with wayward throw
US athlete Kendell Williams could only give a sheepish grin after hitting a photographer with a wayward shot put.
The bizarre incident unfolded at the 2016 World Indoor Athletics Championships, when Williams stepped up during the pentathlon.
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And it is fair to say one man was in the wrong place at the wrong time when the shot put category came around in Portland, Oregon.
Specifically, when Williams stepped up to throw in front of her home crowd.
The athletics star managed to get things totally wrong, as she skewed her shot way to the left.
But that was not the worst of it, as the throw landed out of the designated landing zone
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With a cameraman positioned just at the point where the protective netting begins, he soon found the shot heading straight for him.
The press photographer had no time to get out of the way, with the 4kg shot put striking him on the shin.
Williams' wayward effort immediately floored the media official, who stayed on the ground afterwards, grabbing his leg in pain.
And while you might expect Williams to have been concerned by this, her reaction painted a slightly different picture.
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The then 22-year-old was captured on camera walking away with a sheepish look on her face, before smiling nervously.
Her priceless response was picked up on by the TV commentators, who immediately commented on her apparent lack of concern.
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An amused Eurosport commentator said: “The athlete doesn’t know what to do!
"But it would be kind of nice if she popped over to say: ‘Are you okay?’
“I think she’s a bit embarrassed.”
To the relief of everyone, the photographer, identified only as 'Sean' by the TV crew, got back on his feet shortly afterwards.
But he didn't escape without getting some stick from the commentator, who joked that the cameraman would be quick to mention the bizarre incident.
The commentator said of him: “Oh boy, and he can talk too - we’ll never hear the end of that, I see him about 20 times a year on the circuit!"
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“He will dine off that for years!”
They then added: “I’m laughing, I really do hope he’s okay of course”
And everyone's prayers were later answered, as USA Track and Field later reported that the photographer was fine after the incident.
As for Williams, she managed to recover from her wayward throw to finish sixth in her first-ever World Indoor Championship campaign.
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And things got even better later that year, as she then competed in her first Olympics in Rio, whilst still a student at the University of Georgia.
Williams came 17th in her maiden Games campaign, before returning for the next edition at the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics in 2021, narrowly missing out on a medal with a fifth-place finish.