Alice Finot celebrated her record-breaking steeplechase finish during the Paris Olympics this week in an unforgettable way. After finishing fourth, the French athlete got on one bended knee to propose to her partner.
While representing France on Tuesday, August 6, Finot, 33, broke the European record in the 3000m steeplechase with a time of 8.58.67, despite coming in fourth place. Finot didn't get to take home a medal, with Bahrain's athlete Winfred Yavi taking gold, Uganda's Peruth Chemutai winning silver, and Kenya's Faith Cherotich claiming bronze.
Nevertheless, the record was reason enough for Finot to celebrate her Olympic presence by sharing the joy with her partner, Bruno Martínez Bargiela, and the Olympic attendees. In the clip below, following the steeplechase, Finot proposed to Bargiela from the stands, who tearfully accepted and embraced her. Instead of a ring, Finot proposed with a pin that read, "Love is in Paris," although it’s likely the pin will soon be replaced with an engagement ring
According to Connexion France, Fiont told reporters that she planned to propose after completing the steeplechase in under nine minutes, with nine being her "lucky number" and the number of years she's been with Bargiela.
"I don’t like doing things the same way as everyone else. Since he hadn’t done it yet, I thought that maybe it was up to me," Fiont said.
She continued, "He’s the one who always gives me strength."
The proposal surely made for a fairytale moment in the City of Love.