Alice Finot celebrated her record-breaking feat with a magical twist at the Paris Games.
The French track and field athlete finished fourth in the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase final Tuesday, and while she missed the podium by a mere three seconds, she broke the European record.
To toast the triumph, the 33-year-old — a first-time Olympian — got down on one knee at the Stade de France and proposed to her boyfriend, who was holding up a pin as he brushed away tears.
The official NBC Olympics & Paralympics X account shared a video of the emotional surprise, with the post amassing more than 4 million views.
French athlete Alice Finot broke the European steeplechase record, finishing fourth in the final and proposed after. 🥹 #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/BreMAAsq2A
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 7, 2024
Finot popped the pin on her partner’s shirt, and the couple shared a warm hug and kiss.
“This is officially the best day of her her life,” Peacock’s X account wrote on the post.
Finot crossed the finish line at 8:58.67, with gold medalist Winfred Yavi of Bahraini clocking in at 8:52.76.
Uganda’s silver medalist Peruth Chemutai finished in 8:53.34, while Faith Cherotich of Uganda earned the bronze with a time of 8:55.15.
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Finot’s grand gesture was not the first proposal at the 2024 Summer Games.
China’s badminton star Huang Yaqiong captured gold with her mixed doubles partner Zheng Siwei earlier in the week.
Her boyfriend and compatriot, Liu Yuchen, who saw an early group-stage exit in the men’s badminton doubles, popped the question after his now-fiancé stood atop the podium at Porte de la Chapelle Arena.
“For me, the proposal is very surprising because I have been preparing for the game,” Huang shared, reported by the Associated Press. “Today I am an Olympic champion and I got proposed (to), so that’s something I didn’t expect.”
They call Paris the “City of Love” for a reason.
