KEY POINTS:
Some of the best remembered stories from the Olympics are not the golden ones, but those about athletes who were denied by the judges or by giant mistakes.
Dorando Pietri
Marathon, London 1908
The most famous of all Olympic losers, Pietri was 22 when he lined up for the 42.195km race which was to end at the White City stadium.
He began slowly but with just over 3km left he hit the front.
Pietri arrived at the stadium clearly distressed, taking a wrong turn and getting redirected by officials, whereupon he collapsed. Four more times, the little Italian stumbled and fell and was helped back to his feet each time.
He crossed the line first in 2h 53min 46s, of which 10 minutes were needed for the last 350m.
American Johnny Hayes came in second and when the Americans protested that Pietri had been unfairly assisted, it was upheld and Pietri was disqualified.
He enjoyed a successful professional career before retiring in 1911, the image of him being helped to his feet among the best known in Olympic history.
Eddie Hart/Rey Robinson
100m quarter-finals, Munich 1972
Among the most famous timing cockups, Hart and Robinson equalled the world record 9.95 seconds at the US Olympic trials and were favoured to contest the gold.
However, the pair, told their quarter-final was to be held in the evening, were aghast to get the word in mid-afternoon to hurry to the stadium.
Too late, Robinson watched the field line up in the race on a TV monitor with "N/A" on the screen beside his name. Coach Stan Wright was blamed for the blunder, although others were fingered as being equally culpable after a late scheduling change had brought the sprints forward by three hours.
"It was like being involved in a car accident that's your fault when you have no insurance and everybody on the freeway has stopped to look at you," Robinson recalled.
Andrew Nicholson and Spinning Rhombus
Three-day event, Barcelona 1992
When Andrew Nicholson climbed aboard his mount in the final showjumping leg, team gold beckoned for New Zealand. Nicholson and Spinning Rhombus could afford to knock over seven rails and New Zealand would still win.
But things began badly and got worse as the horse ploughed through, not over, obstacle after obstacle, knocking nine rails down and dropping New Zealand into second behind Australia.
Nicholson, one of New Zealand's finest eventers and off to his record-equalling sixth Olympics in Beijing, was remarkably philosophical afterwards. The horse was not a natural jumper and it was just one of those days, he said.
Roy Jones
Boxing, Seoul 1988
Boxing and dodgy decisions are familiar bedmates but the outcome of Jones' light middleweight final against South Korean Park Si-Hun in Seoul in 1988 still ranks worst of the lot, certainly on the Olympic programme.
Jones pummelled Park, landing 86 punches to 32, yet lost 3-2.
The three judges who favoured Park were later suspended.
Park allegedly apologised to Jones after the decision. But the IOC still sticks with the verdict.
Jones, winner of multiple world titles and named the best fighter of the 1990s by the Boxing Writers Association of America, won the Val Barker Trophy for best boxer at Seoul, which tells its own story.
Lance Larson
Swimming, 100m freestyle final, Rome 1960
The Californian was the victim in one of the most controversial swimming finals in Olympic history. Larson was neck and neck with Australian John Devitt in the 100m freestyle final.
The pair touched almost simultaneously and the six judges were split but the three watches had timed Larson faster (55.1s, 55.1s and 55.0 against 55.2s for Devitt).
The backup electric timer also had 20-year-old Larson faster but the International Swimming Federation president gave Devitt the win, even though he wasn't supposed to have a vote. Repeated protests were dismissed.
Larson, the first swimmer to break 1min for the 100m butterfly, set five world records and did get his Olympic gold in the 4 x 100m freestyle relay.
Jane Saville
20km race walk, Sydney 2000
The Sydney woman was a few hundred metres from winning the 20km walking gold at the 2000 Olympics in her home city. She had the race in the bag as she approached the Olympic stadium.
Then, just before she entered the tunnel a little man hurried towards her and dramatically waved a red card in her face, signalling disqualification for illegally lifting her feet.
Walkers are allowed two errors - when both feet are off the ground simultaneously - but the third means curtains. Saville collapsed in tears.
Asked what she needed later, Saville replied: "A gun to shoot myself." Bronze in Athens four years later was small compensation.
Bruce Biddle
200km road race, Munich 1972
Biddle came within a wheel of winning New Zealand's first Olympic cycling medal - then should have won it off the road anyway. He crossed fourth in 4h 15min 04s but Spaniard Jaime Huelano, who was third, failed a drugs test and was disqualified.
However as Biddle was not tested at the time, despite New Zealand efforts to secure a test, the IOC would not award the Warkworth rider the bronze, even though the record books credit him with third place.
Mary Decker
3000m final, Los Angeles 1984
Decker, darling of American track and field and setter of six world records in 1982 alone, was heavily fancied to win the gold. However a collision with South African-born British barefoot runner Zola Budd left her on the side of the track in tears.
Decker was trailing on the inside of Budd and bitter recriminations followed, amid claims both had broken distance running protocols over changing running lines.
Budd, who finished seventh, tried to apologise in the tunnel. Decker snarled: "Don't bother."
The American media sided with Decker; the Brits with Budd. The International Amateur Athletic Federation found Budd not responsible for the collision.
