Adding another reason to celebrate, Olympic runner Alice Finot proposed to her boyfriend after she broke the European women’s 3000m steeplechase record.
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According to the DailyMail, Finot came in fourth behind medalists Winfred Yavi of Bahrain, Peruth Chemutai of Uganda, and Faith Cherotich of Kenya with a time of 8:58.67 on Tuesday, Aug. 6.
After helping to break the record, Finot turned her attention to the crowd and got down on one knee to propose to her boyfriend, Spanish triathlete Bruno Martínez Bargiela.
Although she didn’t have an engagement ring on hand, the runner decided to use an Olympic pin instead. She then pinned it to his shirt as they celebrated.
Finot confirmed that Bargiela said “yes.”
“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 explained in a post-race interview with reporters. 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. So, I gave a pin that I ran with to my boyfriend. On it, it says: Love is in Paris.”
The Olympic runner then stated her now fiance “always gives” her strength. Including during the steeplechase finals. “I really had a blast, I managed to express myself,” she pointed out.
In regards to finishing the race in fourth place, Finot didn’t seem to mind. “It was just a tiny bit [that was] missing to get a medal,” she noted. “I’m sorry. But I don’t regret anything.”
French athlete Alice Finot, who broke the European record in women's 3,000-meter walking, proposed to her boyfriend after the race. 💍💕 pic.twitter.com/aGhtUqc469
— Tansu Yegen (@TansuYegen) August 7, 2024
Love Is In the Air As Multiple Olympic Athletes Propose in Paris
Along with the Olympic runner, other Olympians have proposed to their significant others during the Paris Games.
American rower, Justin Best, proposed to his girlfriend of nine years, Lainey Duncan, while in the City of Lights. He told PEOPLE, “Lainey is my other half. She is fiercely intelligent, effortlessly beautiful, boundlessly creative, and radiates kindness to everyone she meets.”
Best then shared, “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. I am so happy I get to spend the rest of my life with this amazing human, and hopefully raise a family together.”
Fellow American Olympian Payton Otterdahl also proposed to his girlfriend, Maddy Nilles, right near the iconic Eiffel Tower. In a photo on Instagram, the Team USA shotputter was seen on one knee as he placed the ring on Nilles’ finger.