40 Dramatic Elite Athlete Moments That We Just Can’t Stop Watching
Athletes, whether they’re competing in summer or winter events, are supposed to represent the pinnacle of poise, grace and coordination. But they’re not entirely immune to the kind of epic fails you’d usually expect to see on America’s Funniest Home Videos. Here’s a look at 40 funny sporting moments worthy of winning a gold medal — for embarrassment...
41. Rachel Dawson slips on hockey field
Rachel Dawson can certainly vouch for Britain’s reputation as a rainy nation. The astroturf pitch upon which Team USA and New Zealand competed during the 2012 London Olympics got so wet that it started to resemble a paddling pool. And as a result the American ended up slipping rather ungracefully as she battled for the ball with Anita Punt.
40. Orawan Paranang gets hit in face by ping-pong ball
If you’re going to get hit squarely in the face by a moving object, then a ping-pong ball is probably the projectile you’d choose. But we can still imagine that it stung a little when Orawan Paranang was struck during her women’s table tennis encounter at Tokyo 2020. The Thailand native was competing in a third-round match against Japan’s Kasumi Ishikawa at the time.
39. Heather Dorniden falls on her face in the 600m
This is a sporting “fail” with a sting in the tail. Heather Dorniden looked to have blown her chances of winning the Big 10 Indoor Track Championships’ 600m in 2008 when she fell face-first onto the track in her final lap. But proving that top athletes are made of sterner stuff than us mere mortals, the runner dusted herself off and, against all odds, still managed to cross the finish line first!
38. Anais Morand crashes on the ice rink
Few other Olympic sports witness more tumbles and falls than figure skating. But Anais Morand of Switzerland still managed to stand out from the slippy with her impressive, if ultimately unsuccessful, attempt to steady herself at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games. To make matters even more awkward, the skater was performing as a pair with Antoine Dorsaz.
