French diver laments toe-curling fall ‘in front of the president, in front of the whole of France’

French diver Alexis Jandard suffered a mishap on Thursday when he fell off the diving board in front of President Emmanuel Macron during an Olympic pool inauguration.

Preparing to dive off the three-meter (9.8-foot) springboard alongside two other divers, the 26-year-old lost his footing, landed on his back and bounced off the board while the divers next to him performed their twisting dives neatly into the pool.

“I slipped, boss,” he posted on his Instagram stories afterward, with a photo of red marks across his back, referencing a quote from the French war-comedy movie series “La Septième Compagnie,” in which a soldier frequently trips over.

“I had a bit of weakness in my leg, and that made me fall. I fell in front of the president, in front of the whole of France,” Jandard added on his Instagram stories.

“I’m getting loads of messages, I can’t believe it. So enjoy yourselves, make fun of me. I seriously deserve it!”

Jandard was performing at the inauguration of the Olympic Aquatic Centre in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, one of the facilities built specially for the city’s Olympic Games this summer.

“My back is fine but my ego…,” Jandard joked on X, formerly known as Twitter.

An experienced diver, Jandard won silver and bronze medals at the 2022 and 2023 World Championships, respectively, and also competed at the 2020 Olympic Games.

“I want to reassure everyone that everything’s ok, I didn’t hurt myself,” he told his Instagram followers. “There was a bit of blood but nothing serious, it hasn’t stopped me from going to train this afternoon.”