Is that an oar in your pocket, or are you just happy to win the bronze? U.S. rower denies he had erection during medal ceremony

Henrik Rummel won the bronze medal with his American teammates during Saturday's coxless four event

Appeared on Reddit to deny that he had erection

Video posted to YouTube appears to show look of embarrassment on Rummel's face



He may have won an Olympic medal, but this red-faced rower will go down in history for sporting some serious wood.

Henrik Rummel, 24, won the bronze medal in the coxless four event on Saturday along with his three American teammates.

But at the medal ceremony, it appeared that something else wished to stand up and celebrate with the Americans, as what looked like an erection bulged out of Rummel's incredibly tight shorts.

Whatever floats your boat: Henrik Rummel, second from left, stands proud with his teammates after the took the bronze medal in the coxless four competition on Saturday

Who wears short shorts? Rummel denied that he had an erection in the post-race photos

While such a thing may have gone largely unnoticed in an Olympiad packed with events, submissions to websites like Reddit and YouTube won't let Rummel forget it.



A post on Reddit, entitled 'One US rower was particularly excited by his bronze medal' has collected nearly 1,000 comments.

One of them is from the rower in question, who wholeheartedly denied that he had an erection during the medal ceremony.

Posting as Rummelator, Rummel posted: 'This is me and I swear it's not erect! I don't know why it ended up in that position but there you go.'

Consulting your redditor: Rummel later appeared on the site to dismiss claims that he had an erection in the photo

Another Reddit user called him out and demanded proof, which Rummel provided, thanks to the photo-sharing site Imgur, which showed him holding a slip of paper that said 'Rummelator' on it.

A video posted to YouTube, entitled 'Giant Rowing Bulge!' appears to show Rummel looking down awkwardly moments after receiving the medal.

'He's got a place to hang his medal,' one commenter quipped.

Another said: ‘Can't think of a more inappropriate time and place to have an erection.'

Proof: Rummel also posted this photo to show that he was the now-infamous rower

The U.S. crew of Rummel, Glenn Ochal, Charles Cole and Scott Gault was America's first medal in the event since the Barcelona Games in 1992.

Great Britain successfully defended its Olympic rowing title at Dorney Lake on Saturday.

Australia, which finished a half-length behind, took silver.