Misfortune is never far away on the field of sport. Just when everything seems to be going to plan, the fickle finger of fate can strike without warning to turn a celebration into a commiseration. Ask the Russian marathon runner who turned the wrong way on entering the stadium at the 1954 European Championships and promptly saw a gold medal become bronze; or the jockey who didn't bother riding his horse flat out because he was mistakenly convinced there was still a circuit to go; or the Irish boxer who took a swing at his opponent, missed, crashed out of the ring and succeeded in knocking himself out. Spanning three centuries and a multitude of sports, this is a classic collection of the finest calamities.