French athlete Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad has gained track and field infamy in the lead-up to the London Olympics.
The 27-year-old had just won gold in the European Championship's 3000 metre steeplechase in Helsinki on Sunday when audience cheers quickly subsided into shock over his subsequent actions.
Rather than appearing happy about his 8.33.23-minute victory, the Algerian-born athlete walked over to the championship's mascot "Appy", which was being worn by a 14-year-old girl, and smacked a gift bag out of her hands and shoved her with both hands.
The girl was believed to have been slightly winded by the unexpected attack but otherwise unharmed. Yet championship organisers were livid, according to Karjalainen news.
Championship director Mika Muukka told the news agency that "hopefully, the EAA (European Athletics Association) would deal with the case".
It was not the first time that Mekhissi-Benabbad had picked on a mascot. After winning the same race at the 2010 championships in Barcelona, he asked a mascot to kneel in front of him before he pushed it to the ground.
