We tend to think of Olympians as super humans, so skilled in their sports that an average person could never come close to their superior echelon of awesome-ness. OK, so that might be true (looking at you, Michael Phelps), but there still are plenty of Olympic moments to remind us all that no matter how high we can jump or how fast humans can run, in the end, we're all just people.
The 2012 Olympics come to a close this weekend, and in celebration, we've found a collection of blunders, embarrassing mental breakdowns, even a little dash of pretty boy Ryan Lochte. Check out the Ten Epic Fails of the London Olympics (so far).
10. A Chinese Athlete's Shame
We've heard about China's tough love policy towards its athletes, but when you win a medal and you still have a complete mental breakdown, there's something really, really wrong. This poor guy is so ashamed with himself, words completely fail him.
9. Cuban Pole Vaulter Snaps Pole
Failing in the Olympics after years of hard work and training would be like having the ground crumble from underneath your feet. For Cuban pole vaulter, Lazaro Borges, the analogy might be a little too close to reality. No, the floor didn't collapse but his pole did snap into three pieces leaving him in an embarrassing heap on the floor.
8. London Mayor Stuck on Zip Line
Politicians tend to get themselves into awkward situations and London Mayor Boris Johnson may have taken the gold with his zip wire stunt in Victoria Park. In front of a crowd gathered to watch the games on large screens, the mayor attempted to ride a 1,050-foot zip line lofted 148 feet in the air. Unfortunately, he stalled about three-quarters of the way across, giving everyone in attendance quite a laugh. Luckily he seems to be a pretty humorous guy and kept great composure while waiting to be pulled to safety with a rope.
7. Bulgarian Hurdler Trips
Even in a pun-lover's wildest dreams, fails can't get more perfect than this. Bulgarian athlete Vania Stambolva, you guessed it, stumbled over the first hurdle in her 400-metre race.
6. German Diver Completely "Feck-s" Up
We believe Stephan Feck is talented, but when you get up on the international stage and perform a zero-scoring back flop and possibly the worst Olympic dive ever...well, that's pretty hard to recover from. In an attempt to perform a three and half sommersualt dive, Feck somehow lost hold of his thigh sending him smacking back first into the water.
You can watch a video of the dive here.
5. NBC's Olympic Coverage Mistake(s)
If you're going to monopolize the biggest news and sporting event in the world, try not to mess it up. Things started off shaky with NBC's decision to cut the tribute to victims of a London terrorist attack during the opening ceremonies, and didn't get much better from there. They also aired a commercial of a monkey doing gymnastics just moments after Gaby Douglas became the first African American to win the individual all-around gold medal. And who can forget when they spoiled Missy Franklin's big win with a preview of the next day's programming? Don't forget their interview with a "random" tourist: Evander Holyfield.
4. Weightlifter Drops Barbell
It's kind of like when you see the too-cool-for-school guy at the gym totally fall on his face - except this is the Olympics. Good news is the German weightlifter Matthias Steiner didn't seem to be injured too seriously since he stood up and waved at the crowd before being descended on by a team of medics.
3. An Aussie Athlete's Scary Hairy Pits
We admit some of the Australian females athletes are total babes. But this weightlifter's arm pits need some serious TLC.
2. Ryan Lochte's Interviews
Sure, he's a great swimmer and very easy on the eyes, but the guy can hardly speak English. When he opens his mouth you never know what's going to come out. Maybe he's got too much water in his ears to think straight, but whatever the reason let's just hope the reality TV show never, ever happens.
1. Ecuadorian Weightlifter Has an "Accident"
A reminder to always "go" one last time before you attempt to make Olympic history.
