French pole vaulter Romain Mesnil had his endorsement deal with Nike lapse and no other sponsor has come forward. So Mesnil did what any Frenchman would do — run through the streets with nothing but his pole. Seriously, I was there in the summer and it’s practically en epidemic.

The 31-year-old, who won a silver medal at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, must find new financial support after his contract with Nike ended last year.

The muscular athlete blamed the deepening global recession, saying: “It was probably for budgetary and strategic reasons. It’s the crisis.”

He added: “In my mind, it was an opportunity to do something funny.

We jumped the vid because of a bit of crack around the 10-second mark, but it’s totally wang-free. The last thing any of you need is to fall in love.

|The Daily Express|