‘Love is in Paris’: France’s Alice Finot proposes to her boyfriend after breaking the European tower record

French athlete Alice Finot celebrated breaking the European record in the women’s 3000 meter Steeplechase in the final on Tuesday by proposing to her boyfriend after the race.

Finot finished fourth with a time of 8:58.67 behind medalists Winfred Yavi of Bahrain, Peruth Chemutai of Uganda and Faith Cherotich of Kenya. It was the first time that four women broke nine minutes.

Finot then went to the stands to hug her boyfriend – triathlete Bruno Martínez Bargiela of Spain – and got down on one knee to propose with an Olympic pin. Bargiela said yes and Finot pinned his shirt.

French athlete Alice Finot broke the European tower record, finishing fourth in the final and then made a comeback. 🥹 #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/BreMAAsq2A

— NBC Olympic and Paralympic Games (@NBCOlympics) August 7, 2024

“I told myself that if I ran less than nine minutes, knowing that nine is my lucky number and that we have been together for nine years, I would propose,” Finot told reporters. according to the Daily Mail.

“I don’t like to do 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 I used to run to my friend. It says: Love is in Paris.”

With her proposal, Finot joined a growing list of Olympians who got engaged at the Paris Games.

Last week, China’s Huang Ya Qiong left the badminton mixed doubles final with a gold medal and a diamond ring after her boyfriend, Liu Yu Chen, a Chinese badminton player who also competed in Paris, surprised her with flowers and a proposal. Huang said yes.

The French skiff sailing partners Sarah Steyaert and Charline Picon will be present on Friday were introduced by their respective boyfriends after winning bronze in the women’s single sculls 49erFX. Their boyfriends promised Steyaert and Picon that they would get engaged if the sailing partners won a medal.

American shot putter Payton Otterdahl proposed to his girlfriendMaddy Nilles, in front of the Eiffel Tower on Sunday, a day after finishing fourth in the men’s shot put final. American rower Justin Best participated on Monday is engaged to his girlfriend, Lainey Duncan, live on the “Today” show.

The day before the opening ceremony, men’s handball player Pablo Simonet has proposed to hockey player Maria Campoy during a photo session for Argentine athletes in the Olympic Village.

(Photo: Hannah Peters/Getty Images)