Ci hanno provato e hanno fallito, spesso in modo triste. Ma non siamo troppo duri con quegli atleti che hanno dato il massimo ma sono venuti meno.

Non tutti gli atleti ricevono la formazione professionale, l'alimentazione e integratori consiglio che riceve il Team GB.

I giochi estivi e invernali sono una celebrazione dello spirito umano tanto quanto le prestazioni, e almeno nel primo reparto, questi uomini e donne sono veri vincitori.

Eric l'anguilla

The worst swimmer ever to compete in the olympics. Eric Moussambani was a wildcard from Equatorial Guinea entered in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. It was the first the swimmer had ever seen a 50m pool, let alone swam in one and due to a misunderstanding, Moussambani had only trained for the 50m, not the 100m for which he was entered.

Eric’s heat got off to a bad start when the two other competitors were disqualified for jumping the gun. As the only competitor remaining, it was decided that Moussambani would have to compete against the clock.

Despite his best efforts, the flailing African could only manage a of 1:52.72. This is some way outside of the world record for the 200m, but not bad considering that he’d taught himself to swim just eight months before the race and trained without a coach, in a hotel pool.

Feck up

The 3m springboard was the scene of Germany’s Stephen Feck’s undoing at last year’s olympics. The 23 year old bounded into the air, but mid somersault he lost grip of one of his legs, span out of the tuck and landed flat on his back in the water.

Il tuffo gli ha fatto guadagnare punti zero e l'ultimo posto.

Feck’s humiliation went viral, but if you think the guy is another hopeless athlete – think again – he has previously won silver medals at European level. This being the case, we thought we’d give the guy a break and let him have his say.

Sogelau Tuvalu

The small island nation of American Samoa is not known for producing sprinters – as it turns out – with good reason. The scene was set for a showdown between the world’s best sprinters at the 2011 World Athletics Championships in South Korea. In lane seven, 17 year old Sogelau Tuvalu readied himself for the crack of the starting pistol. He had wanted to compete in the shot put but failed to make the qualifying distance – the 100m dash would have to do.

As the gun went off, Tuvalu exploded off the blocks, but his shuffling gait and hefty frame made the following 99m slow going. At one point the teenager was a massive 40m, behind the next slowest runner.

Nonostante un tempo di 15,66 secondi, il samoano si è dichiarato soddisfatto della sua prestazione, un record personale.

Eddie l'aquila

Possibly the most famous ‘awful athlete’ the world has ever known. Michael Edwards, the plasterer from Stroud was a good downhill skier and only just missed out on making the GB team for the 1984 winter olympics.

Decise di trasferirsi a Lake Placid negli Stati Uniti per aumentare le sue possibilità di partecipare alla competizione del 1988. Presto afflitto da problemi finanziari, il sogno olimpico di Eddie stava scivolando tra le sue dita guantate. Poi è passato al salto con gli sci e alle qualifiche più facili. Ha fatto squadra e tra le nevi di Calgary è nata l '"Aquila".

Come si suol dire, il resto è storia: è arrivato ultimo sia negli eventi normali che in quelli di grandi dimensioni, ma la sua allegra inettitudine lo ha reso una star dello sport.

Il bradipo di coppia

The man who learned to row just three months before the Olympics came last by a wide margin in all three races in last year’s London Olympics. But while Hamadou Djibo Issaka of Niger proved a slow rower, he very quickly found a place in the hearts of the British public.

Niger is a desert country and not one with a rowing tradition, but that didn’t stop Issaka from trying. All his training was done in Tunisia and his entry was, like Eric the eel’s due to a wildcard system that encourages less developed nations to participate.

Issaka is now hoping to make the 2016 Olympics in Rio. It will be interesting to see if a professional training regime with proper nutrition and food supplements can make a true athlete of him.