Paris Olympics: French athlete Alice Finot breaks the norm

Love without pride, French athlete Alice Finot breaks the norm to propose to her lover at the Paris Olympics.

Alice Finot not only shattered records at the Paris Summer Olympics after picking up a medal but also won hearts with a surprise post-race proposal that has become the talk of the Games. This comes just weeks after Finot was crowned European Champion in the 3000 meters steeplechase at the 2024 European Athletics Championships in Rome.

After helping to break the European women’s 3000m steeplechase record, Finot made her moment unforgettable by proposing to her longtime boyfriend, Spanish triathlete Bruno Martínez Bargiela, using an Olympic pin in place of a traditional ring.

In a dramatic final where four athletes broke the nine-minute barrier for the first time ever, Finot finished fourth with a time of 8:58.67, just behind the medalists. But it was what happened next that truly captured the spotlight.

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Racing to the stands, Finot proposed to Bargiela in a heartfelt gesture tied to their nine-year relationship and her lucky number nine. “I told myself that if I ran under nine minutes… I would propose,” Finot shared. “Since he hadn’t done it yet, I thought maybe it was up to me.”

Though she narrowly missed the podium, Finot’s joy was undiminished. “It was just a tiny bit missing to get a medal, but I don’t regret anything,” she said. “I had a blast and managed to express myself.”