Jeffrey Julmis doesn't get enough height on his first jump and crashes straight into the first hurdle of the men's 110m hurdles semifinals of the Rio Olympics.
Jeffrey Julmis doesn't get enough height on his first jump and crashes straight into the first hurdle of the men's 110m hurdles semifinals of the Rio Olympics.
Cameron Spencer/Getty Images South America/Getty Images

Story highlights

Haitian hurdler didn't want to be "sore loser"

Jeffrey Julmis crashes through first hurdle before recovering

"The Olympic spirit -- finish the race," he said

CNN  — 

After a Usain Bolt-style pre-race build-up complete with a cheeky look at the cameras as he pointed at his watch, Haitian athlete Jeffrey Julmis quickly came crashing straight down to earth.

Competing in the semifinals of the men’s 110-meter hurdles, the 28-year-old took a nasty tumble as he ran through the first hurdle.

Ouch! Haiti's Jeffrey Julmis, crashes into the first hurdle in the men's 110m hurdles semifinal.
Ouch! Haiti's Jeffrey Julmis, crashes into the first hurdle in the men's 110m hurdles semifinal.
PEDRO UGARTE/AFP/AFP/Getty Images

Traveling at high speed, Julmis ended up doing a somersault, landing close to the second hurdle.

Disappointment for Julmis, who was competing in his second Olympics and has yet to reach a final.
Disappointment for Julmis, who was competing in his second Olympics and has yet to reach a final.
JOHANNES EISELE/AFP/AFP/Getty Images

Apart from probably wishing the ground would swallow him up, Julmis could also have been forgiven if he had thrown in the towel after what must surely have been an embarrassing moment for a capable runner competing in his second Olympics.

But, in true Olympic spirit, he got up again to finish the race to huge cheers from the crowd.

His dream of reaching an Olympic final now in tatters, Julmis doesn't hesitate as he gets up again to continue his race.
His dream of reaching an Olympic final now in tatters, Julmis doesn't hesitate as he gets up again to continue his race.
JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/AFP/Getty Images

“It didn’t make sense to go down as a sore loser,” Julmis, who grew up in Florida, told reporters after he finished in a time of 25.56 seconds, 13 seconds behind race winner Orlando Ortega of Spain.

To huge roars from the crowd, Julmis finishes his race, only to be disqualified. But he can leave Rio with his head held up high as he never gave up.
To huge roars from the crowd, Julmis finishes his race, only to be disqualified. But he can leave Rio with his head held up high as he never gave up.
Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images South America/Getty Images

Although Julmis was disqualified, he can take some consolation from improving on his record in London, when he failed to get out of the heats.

READ MORE: “That girl is the Olympic spirit right there”

“The Olympic spirit –finish the race,” said Julmis, a former member of the track and field team of Kansas State University. “It felt good the crowd cheering me on. But I would’ve loved to have made it to the final.”

Unsurprisingly Julmis’s Rio 2016 moment didn’t go unnoticed on social media, with one Twitter user joking the Haitian “wanna be Shaunae Miller,” a reference to the Bahamas-born athlete’s unconventional approach to winning the 400m final.

Miller dived across the finish line to deny Allyson Felix a fifth Olympic gold Monday, in a thrilling women’s 400-meter final.