John Stephen Akhwari’s last-place finish in the marathon in the 1968 Mexico City Olympics is almost certainly considered the greatest last-place finish of all time, and Akhwari’s response as to why he forced his injured body across the finish line, long after the rest of the field had finished, is almost certainly the epitome of the Olympic spirit: “My country did not send me to Mexico City to start the race. They sent me to finish the race.”

August 21, 2008 | Permalink