18-year-old Meghan Rutledge was excited that she was on her way to her an easy Moto X gold medal win at the Summer X Games over the weekend when she made the decision to fist pump in celebration before the finish line.
Unfortunately for Rutledge, that resulted in her coming down awkwardly on the bike and crashing as she watched her competitors fly by the finish line.
After the race, Rutledge was devastated and she chalked the mistake up to young age.
“I was out there leading. I’m really young. I’ve never led an X Games before. I celebrated a bit too early and made a mistake, unfortunately, which gave Vicki Golden an opening to take first again,” said Rutledge, via ESPN.com. “If I had stayed on the bike, there was no way I could have lost. I had one straight to go. But, you know, mistakes happen.”
It’s unfortunate. It’s embarassing. But, it is also a lesson to young kids everywhere: Keep your hands on the wheel/handlebars and keep your eyes straight ahead. Save the celebrations until after you are victorious.
The good news for Rutledge is that she recovered to win the silver, but the bad news is that her mascara was running everywhere as she began to cry after making the big mistake.
If you want to see the video — trust me, you do — simply check it out below and try not to laugh at the ending that crushed Rutledge to the core: