The most embarrassing Olympic moments in history

For over 100 years, the Olympic Games have been the only global event where athletes can show their superhuman abilities to a worldwide audience in multiple disciplines.

To reach the Olympic level, it takes years of sacrifice and dedication at the highest level to try and stand on that podium.

So, when an athlete makes it to the Olympics and fails in what they set out to do, it can make for some of the most embarrassing moments.

Here are some sad and embarrassing moments from the Olympic Games!

At the 2012 Olympics in London, American gymnast McKayla Moroney became a worldwide meme after the camera caught her unsportsmanlike facial gesture as she stood on the podium.

The moment went viral as people took to the internet to create the 'Not Impressed' meme. Her expression was due to stumbling on the vault and losing out on the gold medal to Sandra Izbasa.

At the 1988 Seoul Olympics, Canadian Ben Johnson blew the competition out of the water in the 100m, setting a record-breaking time of 9.79 and boasting to reporters that 'this world record will last 50 years, maybe 100."

All his boasting and celebrations were cut short the day after in an embarrassing ordeal, where a routine drugs test had found he was using steroids. He was forced to return the gold medal, and his record didn't even last 24 hours.

In the 2016 Games in Rio, Chinese boxer LV Bin mistakenly misheard the judges in his fight with Kenyan boxer Peter Warui as he started celebrating a win in the ring before finding out he had lost.

Bin screamed in the excitement of winning the bout, and only realised he had lost when Warui started to celebrate next to him, making the moment awkward and embarrassing for the boxer.

Again, at the 2016 Olympics, the Netherlands bike rider Ellen Van Dijk had a moment to forget in the time trial event as she crashed into the bushes heading around a steep corner.

Picture – X @Sportnieuwsnl

Ultimately, she pulled her bike out of the bushes and got on with the race, but the crash was significant as she missed out on medalling despite being close to bronze.

It's the 21st century, and everyone seems obsessed with their phones, but it's still inconceivable that an athlete would have one on them when they're competing at the Olympics. Enter Enzo Lefort.

Whilst competing for France in fencing against Germany's Peter Joppich, it appeared that Lefort's cell phone had slipped out of his pocket and crashed on the floor when he tried to defend himself in a live event. He must be glad no one decided to call him!

Picture – X @masato_jones

At the 2008 Beijing Games, Cuban Taekwondo fighter Angel Valodia Matos kicked referee Chakir Chelbat of Sweden in the face after losing in the bronze medal match to Arman Chilmanov of Kazakhstan.

In one of the most embarrassing moments in Olympic history, Matos and his coach were banned for life from Taekwondo after a 'strong violation of the spirit of taekwondo and the Olympic Games.'