Most unlikeliest sporting winners

[Mad Doug Biker]

I started this thread on another forum (predominantly U.S.), but, shock horror, they don't like underdog stories, so I'll post some of what I have found here instead:

Ok, I came across this after hearing a programme about him on the World service last night.

This guy had run most of his life, but never done it competitively until very late in life. One day in 1983, at the age of 61, he entered the 850km Sydney to Melbourne Supermarathon.
Lining up at the start with guys half his age, everyone thought he was insane, but, he knew better.....

Here is a great introduction (although his story isn't quite correct, because he did sleep and was caught up at one point, but managed to leave in time. Also, 12 hours or 2 days?)

Anyway, enjoy:


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkOfWyzZH_A&feature=player_embedded

And listen to what he did with his prize money! What a guy!!:


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGFA2N0oS1Q

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

This was my original post:

It is 1967, you are at Aintree in Merseyside, Liverpool, you are watching the Grand National, only one of the greatest steeple chases in the world, you put a bet or two on perhaps Honey End, Rutherfords, Kapeno or Greek Scholar. The race starts, and, for the first lap, everything is going reasonably, but then, at an anonymous, and also one of the lowest fences on the course, something quite the most extraordinary happens.

Enter Popham Down, an erstwhile obscure racehorse that has been unseated at an earlier jump. Approaching this fence, it suddenly decides it isn't going to jump, and runs sideways along the fence to go round it. Unfortunately, the rest of the field is following hard behind, and it collides with Rutherfords, starting a chain reaction of other collisions.

Something must be really spooking the horses, because none of them decide to jump, either stopping abruptly, throwing their riders of in front, or turning round and running back the way they have come. All this carnage! and then, out of the melee, one horse emerges, a 100 - 1 horse called Foinavon!

Foinavon has won a few races before, but is such a laid back horse that on one occasion when he fell, he just sat there, nonchalantly chewing on the grass! he has such poor hopes that both his owner and trainer are not even present to see him race, and, on top of that, he has a last minute replacement Jockey, John Buckingham.

Most of the other horses finally start to follow again and Foinavon is nearly caught, but, history was in the making that day!

Anyway, watch here (for some strange reason it has cut off the very beginning):


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tls18p0AYjM


That is one excited, if oddly goofy looking horse at the end.

And of that anonymous fence??

Well, what do you think they called it??

Yep, that's right, The Foinavon Fence!

Foinavon, the no - hoper 100 - 1 horse has gone down in history for ever more!



Remarkably, no horses were injured, but a few jockey's egos were undoubtedly bruised!

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

And, of course, this cracker!:


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DHgMiN6Nlc

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

'Jones looking for trouble and the trouble is there'

I just love this:


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZ-_3Ug3wqU&feature=related

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

And this, he he!!:


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bft_ChykJGg

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

Joe Johnson:


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ErjWNNE2PM

'Ladies and Gentlemen, Joe Johnson from Bradford, Snooker Champion Of The World'

(Turn up the volume):


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4wDxa-hKC8&feature=related

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

And the original people's champion:


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkOaWmdipg4&feature=related

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

Come on, don't be shy!

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

Why can you not post? There must be things I've missed, things from the past I don't know about, things even, to do with.... shock horror.... cycling?!

Oh yeah, and in the same ilk as speed Skater Steve Bradbury, I have forgotten about that snowboarding one where the leader starts to show off and then falls, leaving the person behind to win!

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

ESB for the Grand National anyone? :


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62fPLtL8h7s&feature=player_embedded

 

[postman]

'Jones looking for trouble and the trouble is there'

I just love this:


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZ-_3Ug3wqU&feature=related

Thats just brought a tear to my eye.Brillant.

 

[postman]

Sunderland beating Leeds (sorry Postie, Vernon, Colly etc) in 1973

Thats just brought a tear to my eyes also.

 

[Chromatic]

4th March 1972 RFU knockout cup quarter final
London Welsh v Gloucester

http://www.gloucesterrugbyheritage.org.uk/documents/7203041.pdf

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

Are you not doing any work today?

What's that?

 

[Chromatic]

I think Burton must have managed to restrain himself long enough to see the game out, don't know about afterwards.
We won, the score is on the attached pic of the programme.
To be fair we weren't complete no hopers, we were one of the top English sides and we went on to win the cup, but I don't think anybody really expected what was mostly a team of local lads to beat an international and British Lion packed London Welsh that day.