The 50 Biggest Fails in Summer Olympics History

Over a century of athletic Ls on the world's biggest stage.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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The Summer Olympics are a time of pride and joy. Representing one’s country and winning medals are the highlights of many athletes' careers and make them national heroes. Unfortunately for some other Olympians, it is a two-way street. Mess up on the world’s biggest stage and you can gain pariah status in a heartbeat. The list of Olympians who have disappointed in one way or another is lengthy and often the failures are more memorable than the winners.

From doping to poor sportsmanship to everything in between, the Summer Olympics have brought out the best and worst of the world’s greatest athletes. We collected the best of the worst and here are the 50 Biggest Fails in Summer Olympics History.

RELATED: The 25 Hottest Athletes on the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team

50. Lochte Blows 4x100 Swimming Lead

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49. Bring Back the Swimming Obstacle Course

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48. The Judges Award Style Points

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47. Tennis Player Hits Partner in Face

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46. Baseball and Softball Dropped

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45. Cauldron Re-Lit with Cigarette Lighter

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44. Wrestler Tosses Away Bronze Medal

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43. Members of US 4x400 Team Test Positive

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42. Photography 101 Failure

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41. "Because I'm From Russia, Not From America"

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40. Stacey Augmon Loses Bronze Medal

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39. No Women Allowed in First Games

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38. Marathon Heartbreak

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37. “Fresh as a Buttercup”

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36. Underage Chinese Gymnasts

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35. No Love for Slashers

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34. Jewish Long Jumper Didn't Compete on Sunday, Punched Rival Who Did

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33. US Men Win Bronze in Seoul

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32. Greg Louganis Hits Head on Diving Board

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31. The Worst Marathon Time EVER

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30. The Original Marathon Cheater

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29. First Loss in Three Years

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28. 2008 US Softball Team Loses Final Game

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27. Real Life Juwanna Men

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26. Crying and Quitting the Marathon

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Who: Paula Radcliffe
Olympics: Athens 2004

After setting a world record in the marathon seven months before the 2004 Games, Paula Radcliffe entered Athens as the decided favorite. Things didn't go quite to plan, however, as she dropped out of the race when she was trailing at the 23-mile mark. Some said it was because of the heat, but Radcliffe dismissed that theory by saying she felt "empty." She famously sat on the curb and cried while the other competitors finished. Hey, there's no crying in baseball running!

25. Aleksandr Karelin Loses for First Time

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24. Two Gold Medals?

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23. Best of Both Worlds? Not So Much

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22. Medals from 1906 Games Not Recognized

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21. Kicked Off Team for Twitter Racism

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20. Billion with a B

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19. Jim Thorpe Stripped of Gold Medals

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18. Mary Decker Tripped Up by Zola Budd

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17. Women's Gymnastics Vault Horse Set at Wrong Height

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16. Spanish Men's and Women's Basketball Teams Pose Trying to "Look Asian"

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15. Wait Until Results Are Official Before Going on a Food Bender

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14. Mikha Singh Celebrates Too Early

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13. An Unsuccessful Sit-In

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12. Cuban Taekwondoist Attacks Referee

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11. 2004 US Men's 4x100 Track Team Wins Silver

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10. Marion Jones Forfeiting Medals for Using PHDs

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9. Frederic Weis Is Not Ready for the NBA

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8. American Sprinters Watch Their Heat on Television

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7. First Suriname Olympian Sleeps Through Competition

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6. 1 Territory >>> 50 States

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5. Adolf Hitler's Claim of Supremacy

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4. A Canadian Sprinter Set a World Record? We Better Take a Look at This.

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3. Roy Jones Jr. Robbed of Gold Medal

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2. "Dan and Dave, Dan and Dave, Dan and.... Hey. Where the fuck did Dan go?"

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1. USSR Beats USA. On Third Try

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