Men's marathon boasts glorious history of losers

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Sydney: Glorious losers, tragic winners -- the Olympic marathon always tells a fascinating tale.

From Greek shepherd Spiridon Louis in 1896 to South African Josia Thugwane in 1996, the men's marathon has spanned a century of high drama.

Engraved in its annals are runners from all over the world who refused to give up. Losers took as many laurels as winners.

The gold medal for the marathon's most famous loser must go to Italian Dorando Pietri who collapsed within sight of the finishing line in the 1908 marathon in London.

Disoriented and exhausted, he staggered into the stadium and headed off in the wrong direction. Officials redirected him but he kept collapsing. They could bear to watch no longer and carried him over the line. He was disqualified.

Pietri became an international celebrity overnight. His courage sparked a marathon craze that swept the world.

The silver medal for gallantry could be awarded to Tanzanian John Akhwari at the 1968 Mexico Games. He staggered last into the stadium, his blooded knee bandaged after a fall.

Akhwari offered the immortal Olympic quote afterwards, "My country did not send me 7,000 miles away to start the race. They sent me 7,000 miles to finish it."

The bronze medal for gallant loser might have to be shared. In the 1984 Los Angeles Games, the 78th and last man to finish was Haitian Dieudonne Lamothe.

He said nothing to the press at the time but revealed after the fall of Haitian dictator "Baby Doc" Duvalier that national Olympic officials had threatened to kill him if he failed to complete the race.

Another strong contender for the honorary loser's bronze could be Abdul Baser Wasigi from Afghanistan.

At the 1996 Games in Atlanta, officials were covering the track for the closing ceremony when he finally staggered in.

Volunteers hastily cut a piece of white plastic tape, scribbled "Atlanta 96" across it and Wasigi crossed the line in style after running the slowest marathon in Olympic history.

The winner that day was South Africa's Josia Thugwane who just five months earlier had been shot in the chin when gunmen attacked his car.Ethiopia's Abebe Bikila was one of the greatest marathon runners of all time, winning in Rome in 1960 and again in Tokyo in 1964. But his life ended in tragedy.

Driving the car his government gave him as a reward, he crashed, suffering a broken neck and a spinal injury that paralysed him. He died of a brain haemorrhage at the age of 41.

The Olympic marathon was itself inspired by the tragic legend of Philippides who is said to have carried the news of the Greek victory over the Persians at the battle of Marathon in 490 BC.

On reaching Athens, he cried "Be joyful, we win" and then dropped dead of exhaustion.

Greek shepherd Spiridon Louis became a national hero in 1896 when he won the first marathon of the modern Olympics.

Many years after the historic victory that changed his life forever, Louis said, "That hour was something unimaginable and it still appears to me in my memory like a dream."

The marathon always seems to have attracted a fascinating list of larger-than-life characters.

Felix Carvajal, who financed his own trip from Cuba, lost all his money in a crap game in New Orleans and had to hitch to St Louis for the 1904 Games.

Canadian Billy Sherring only made it to the winner's podium at the 1906 Athens Games thanks to a gambling bartender called Butch Collier.

Sherring collected all his savings from his job as a railway brakeman and gave them to Collier who bet the money on a horse called Cicely. It won at odds of 6-1 and the Canadian was off to the races at last.



(c) Reuters Limited.