Alice Finot is leaving the Paris Summer Olympics with both a new record and a fiancé!
On Tuesday, Aug. 6, the French runner helped to break the European women’s 3000m steeplechase record — and then made the milestone even more special by proposing to her longtime boyfriend, Spanish triathlete Bruno Martínez Bargiela.
During the women's 3000m steeplechase final, four women broke nine minutes for the first time ever, according to The Athletic. With a time of 8:58.67, Finot came in fourth behind medalists Winfred Yavi of Bahrain, Peruth Chemutai of Uganda and Faith Cherotich of Kenya.
After breaking the record with her fellow athletes, Finot barely paused to celebrate the milestone before rushing to the stands to share the moment with Bargiela — and shock the crowd by getting down on one knee.
French athlete came in fourth in the 3000m steeplechase, a European record, and asked for her boyfriend's hand ...pic.twitter.com/ofs9DocirE
— Figen (@TheFigen_) August 7, 2024
Perhaps more unconventional than the proposal location was her choice of jewelry. Instead of a diamond ring, the runner used an Olympic pin. And rather than placing it on his finger, she pinned the accessory to Bargiela’s shirt as they both celebrated, smiling ear to ear before sealing the engagement with a kiss.
While speaking with reporters post-race — and post-proposal — Finot confirmed that Bargiela said “yes,” according to the Daily Mail. Plus, she lifted the curtain on her thought process leading up to the special memory.
“I told myself that if I ran under nine minutes, knowing that nine is my lucky number and that we've been together for nine years, then I would propose,” she said.
“I don't like doing things like everyone else. Since he hadn't done it yet, I told myself that maybe it was up to me to do it,” she continued, per the outlet. “So, I gave a pin that I ran with to my boyfriend. On it, it says: Love is in Paris.”
Finot also said that Bargiela “always gives me strength” — including during the Tuesday finals. “I really had a blast, I managed to express myself,” she said of the event.
As for her fourth-place finish, she added, “It was just a tiny bit (that was) missing to get a medal, I'm sorry. But I don't regret anything.”
With her pin proposal on Tuesday, Finot joined a group of several other athletes who have proposed so far during the Summer Games.
One such athlete is American rower Justin Best, who proposed to his girlfriend Lainey Duncan, who he had also been with for nine years.
Speaking with PEOPLE after the emotional moment, Best said, "Lainey is my other half. She is fiercely intelligent, effortlessly beautiful, boundlessly creative, and radiates kindness to everyone she meets.”
“We have gone through everything in our adult lives together and I have seen her grow into an amazing woman and she has guided me into the man I am today,” he added. “I am so happy I get to spend the rest of my life with this amazing human, and hopefully raise a family together."
Source: Yahoo