Runner hilariously faceplants across the finish line, wins

Face plant into victory.
 By 
Marcus Gilmer
 on 

Winning any competitive race is hard, but one should be extra proud to pull off a victorious run by punctuating the event with a faceplant at the finish.

21-year-old French runner Jimmy Gressier was streaking to an easy victory this weekend, carrying aloft two French flags as he approached a muddy, slippery finish line for a win in the SPAR European Cross Country Championships Under-23 mens race in Tilburg, The Netherlands. That's when he fell flat on his face while attempting to slide across the finish line.

Not to worry, his lead was big enough he still clinched the win. Sadly, he didn't even break the finish line tape, instead, the person holding it awkwardly let it fall as Gressier laid in the mud.

Gressier took it all in stride, even flashing a smile, which is a whole lot easier to do when you win.

[h/t:Deadspin]

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Marcus Gilmer

Marcus Gilmer is Mashable's Assistant Real-Times News Editor on the West Coast, reporting on breaking news from his location in San Francisco. An Alabama native, Marcus earned his BA from Birmingham-Southern College and his MFA in Communications from the University of New Orleans. Marcus has previously worked for Chicagoist, The A.V. Club, the Chicago Sun-Times and the San Francisco Chronicle.

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