--- ---  # Runner's Epic Faceplant at the Finish Line Turns Into a Really Victorious Meme  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Dec 10, 2018 3:52 PM UTC  water sprays from under running shoes runner men water sprays from under running shoes runner mensportpoint—Getty Images/iStockphoto  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Dec 10, 2018 3:52 PM UTC Jimmy Gressier defended his title as the Under-23 European men’s [cross country](http://time.com/4560708/harvard-cross-country-scouting-report/) champion on Sunday in [Tilburg, the Netherlands](http://time.com/4257511/bear-balloon-video/), but it’s his victorious moment at [the finish line](http://time.com/5087662/running-plank-core-exercise/) that has captured the attention of the Internet. video id=5729086730001\] The 21-year-old French runner attempted to celebrate his imminent win with two French flags, but in the excitement, stumbled and fell — faceplanting his way through the finish line tape with a final time of 23:37. As might be expected, the Internet was far more delighted with Gressier’s faceplant and fall as opposed to his second win of the Under-23 European cross country title and wasted no time in making memes of the glorious, mud-filled moment, which might just be remembered for longer than his wins. These Twitter users found Gressier’s hilarious faceplant at the finish line endlessly relatable, going so far as to say that his tumble paralleled the way they approached life always. > [](https://twitter.com/ElroRaps/status/1071819643977953281) > [](https://twitter.com/%5FMouse%5Fxx/status/1071861461863952384) Others reveled in the victory, recounting the times that they had achieved success, albeit awkwardly. > [](https://twitter.com/Ma%5Ftzy/status/1071777430229147648) > [](https://twitter.com/shawnwright94/status/1071816914203262976) Congratulations to Gressier on his win and his newfound meme status! Man Faceplants, Falls at Tilburg 2018 Race, Becomes Meme ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5475302/runner-fall-meme/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5475302/runner-fall-meme/"},"headline":"Runner's Epic Faceplant at the Finish Line Turns Into a Really Victorious Meme","datePublished":"2018-12-10T15:52:40.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:56:20.827Z","description":"At the European Cross Country Championships in Tilburg","url":"https://time.com/5475302/runner-fall-meme/","keywords":["Newsfeed","viral"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt97b110781fa7e983/69894129929fad88bdbf24b4/man-face-plants-while-running-meme.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Cady Lang","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/cady-lang/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt97b110781fa7e983/69894129929fad88bdbf24b4/man-face-plants-while-running-meme.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"water sprays from under running shoes runner men","caption":"water sprays from under running shoes runner men","creditText":"sportpoint—Getty Images/iStockphoto","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5475302/runner-fall-meme/","name":"Runner's Epic Faceplant at the Finish Line Turns Into a Really Victorious Meme"}}]}] ```