During the home stretch, a chain reaction sent four others toppling. Mills appeared to wobble first after getting tangled up with Hay, subsequently taking down Spain’s Thierry Ndikumwenayo, Team Refugee’s Dominic Lokinyomo Lobalu and the Netherlands’ Mike Foppen.
At first, the four runners did not qualify for the final after missing out on the top eight, but the referee later advanced them to the final. Hay automatically advanced as the seventh-place finisher.
After the race, Mills walked up to Hay and appeared to exchange several harsh words, pointing his finger at Hay in anger.
The 5,000-meter final on Saturday will now feature a more crowded field with 20 athletes vying for the podium.
Among the competitors will be two-time reigning world champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway, who earned the fastest time in both qualifying heats. Ingebrigtsen had just missed the podium in the 1,500-meter final yesterday after winning the gold in that event in Tokyo.
Team USA will be represented by Grant Fisher, the 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter U.S. champion, as well as Graham Blanks, who finished sixth in the first heat after avoiding the trip-up with Mills.
