Viewers in stitches after athlete dives head-first into sand during triple jump

Swedish star Jesper Hellstrom has left fans in stitches after launching himself head first into the sand in a failed triple jump attempt.

Looking like a salmon darting out of a river, Hellstrom turned an unbalanced third jump into a hilarious moment to remember.

The 27-year-old was making the attempt during the finals of the European Championships in Germany when his third leap clearly didn’t go to plan.

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Soaring through the sky the Swede turned and placed his hands to the side as he majestically landed with his head into the pit.

It was a calculated mistake that left commentators and fans alike laughing.

Hellstrom seemingly took his mistake in his stride and turned it into a memorable moment at the championships and whilst he was disappointed he got up with a smile on his face.

Despite clearly putting on the most entertaining dive it wasn’t enough for the triple jumper to take home a medal.

A travesty for athletics fans everywhere.

Hellstrom was a surprise finalist after narrowly taking the final spot after a jump of 16.07 metres - so perhaps he was trying to make the most of the opportunity.

He had started with the first jump of 16.02 metres before his second made the headlines.

His third jump of 16.23 metres wasn’t enough to earn himself a position on the podium, but he had already earned a position in the hearts of many.

Speaking after the final, Hellstrom said: “I thought quite immediately afterwards, ‘I wonder if there will be any funny pictures from this.’”

There most certainly were plenty of pictures and videos to laugh at, leaving people loving the jump online. 

One fan tweeted: “Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's Sweden's Jesper Hellstrom in the triple jump. Brilliant.”

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No it's Sweden's Jesper Hellstrom in the triple jump. Brilliant 😂 #EuropeanChampionships #bbcsport pic.twitter.com/x67Rqg36qC

— Michael Malcolm (@CommonwealthCBC) August 17, 2022

Another said: “Jesper Hellstrom is my new favourite athlete at these games.”

Another commented: “Did anyone tell Portugal and Sweden that European Diving Championships are in Roma and not in Munich?”

A fourth added: “Not his longest jump no doubt, but certainly his most memorable!”

The gold medal was taken home by Pedro Pichardo of Portugal with a jump of 17.5 metres.

However, he didn’t style his attempt like a salmon so surely the judges had to take some metres off his final score.