Watch: Athlete Jimmy Gressier falls flat with face-first finish

A cross country runner’s attempt at an audacious finish went horribly wrong and saw him break the tape with his face – but he still won.

A cross country runner was left blushing after an attempt at an audacious finish went spectacularly wrong and left him face down in the mud.

French athlete Jimmy Gressier was some way ahead of his rivals as he approached the finish line in the men’s under-23 European Cross County Championships in Tilburg, Netherlands.

Unfortunately, Gressier, who was defending his title from the previous year, didn’t manage to complete the final metre in the style he was hoping, as an attempted knee slide saw him pass through the tape face first.

Speaking after his victory, Gressier, 21, said: “I am just very happy to win for the second time. The conditions were difficult but the course was still really nice despite the weather.”