10 Incredible Stories From The Summer Olympics
9. Shin A-lam (2012)
In one of the most controversial moments of sport in history, South Korean fencer Shin A-lam fought Germany's Britta Heidemann to a draw, seeming to guarantee her place in the final under the fencing rule of priority.
However, the clock was reset from zero to one second by the officials, as it could not display decimal points, and one second was the minimum unit of time available. Heidemann scored a final hit on Shin A-lam in the repeated second, sending the German into the finals.
While her coach argued with the officials, Shin A-lam broke down on the stage, having had victory snatched out of her hands. Due to fencing rules, Shin A-lam could not leave the stage while her coach debated with the officials, and she was left alone for seventy minutes until the German's victory was confirmed.
Shin A-lam broke into tears for a second time, and was taken off to prepare for the bronze medal match, which she lost 11 - 12 to world number one, Sun Yujie, despite immense support from the crowd.
Shin A-lam later went on to win silver in the 2012 team fencing event, and was offered a medal by the International Fencing Federation as recognition of the controversial loss, but she turned it down, stating: "It does not make me feel better because it's not an Olympic medal."