Never the Bride, but Glorious in Defeat

Posted on August 10th, 2010 | by Rohan |

I ‘overheard’ a conversation on Twitter this evening, in which the extremely gifted Argentinian, David Nalbandian, was described as the best tennis player never to have won a Grand Slam tournament.

Whilst I think that Nalbandian is a terrific talent, I would personally have saved mention for Tim Henman, although I am confident that Andy Murray will not remain a part of this club for long.

It did provoke some thought on my part as to the greatest ‘sporting bridesmaids’. In addition, it soon became apparent to me that most of the names on my list were British … now what is it they say about the Dunkirk Spirit and a nation of gracious losers?

There were many that came to mind, not all Brits, but here are my Top 5 Bridesmaids (in reverse order) … who never did, or have yet to become the bride:-

	Sir HENRY COOPER famously had Muhammad Ali on the canvas during their 1963 bout. A great fighter, who was twice Sports Personality of the Year, he never won a World Title, in an era where Champions had to earn their belt, as oppose to claiming a cheap imitation like the WBO.
	COLIN MONTGOMERIE will lead Europe into the Ryder Cup later this year, and will have the confidence of many. In this historical team event, Monty has rarely been short of magical. Whilst this ability has carried him to an impressive 40 Tournament victories in his career, the search for a Major has proven elusive, with FIVE second place finishes.
	STEVEN GERRARD has won many major accolades during his time in football. Nobody can forget his inspirational performances in the 2005 Champions’ League Final, and the 2006 FA Cup Final, erstwhile referred to as the ‘Gerrard Final’. However, it is difficult to believe that a player of his ability is yet to win a League Championship Winners’ Medal, especially when compared to many who have.
	DAN MARINO held no fewer than 32 NFL records when he retired in 1999. To this day, he is revered as one of the greatest Quarterbacks in the history of the sport, and was selected to the Pro Bowl on an incredible 9 occasions. Yet, Marino never managed to win the one game that is the yardstick of all American Footballers, Super Bowl.
	How JIMMY “The Whirlwind” WHITE never won the Embassy World Title is beyond me. 10 Ranking Tournament victories, over £4.5 million of prize money, yet never the big one. 6 World Championship Finals including 1994, when he led Stephen Hendry in the final frame … still never the big one … and sadly, never the bride.

There are, of course, many others. We have already spoken of Tim Henman, and Merlene Ottey comes to mind also. I was also reminded that the great Colin Jackson won 9 Major Gold Medals, but only gained a ‘Seoul’ Silver Medal in 4 Olympic Games.

There are others that have been more spectacular in defeat, such as the incredibly brave Eric Moussambani (Eric the Eel), and even Cheltenham’s own Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards. However, my thought of the ‘bridesmaid’ is one of outstanding talent, who for some reason never managed to reach their sport’s Holy Grail.

I thoroughly look forward to hearing from people as to whom they might have in their lists.

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Rohan

The Bills ... as a Redskins Fan, we were one of those that beat them - Super Bowl XXII. Agreed, the likes of Bruce Smith & Cornelius Bennett, Kelly & Thomas would have been worthy of a ring but they kept on falling short against the NFC East.

In terms of the 2 sprinters, I think Ato was fantastic - you knew I would as a fellow West Indian, but never felt he was going to consistently beat Donovan Bailey or the top ones of his era. How Frankie never won Olympic Gold is a tragedy ... a fine gentleman and great sprinter, had a slight problem in that his favoured 200m brought him up against a certain fellow called Johnson ... you know the one on the BBC!!

Too young to remember the Netherlands sides of the 70s but heard great things about them. I actually think that it was a poor Dutch side which finished runners up in a poor recent WC!

Glad you liked and thanks as always for the response.

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Game Well and Truly Over

It's a really thought provoking topic, and I want to suggest two men from track & field: Frankie Fredericks and Ato Boldon. Both Fredericks and Boldon won World Championships gold medals, but unfortunately, the Olympic gold evaded them both. Fredericks won an amazing 4 silver medals, while Boldon won a silver and three bronze medals.

Oh, and the Netherlands have now gotten to the final of the World Cup three times.

And from across the pond, the Buffalo Bills got to the SuperBowl four consecutive times. And lost four consecutive times.

In many ways, the ability to keep yourself motivated after not quite achieving your goal so many times is admirable. Although one can argue that the source of that motivation is not achieving the goal itself...

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Stevie R

Very interesting blog Ro. There are some teams and sportspeople who spring to my mind immediately. I've listed a few below.

The NZ All Blacks in the 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003 & 2007 RWCs? They are the opposite to the German football team. Whereas the Germans are often underpar between major tournaments, they always come togther at the right time and are a huge threat to anybody. NZ destroy everybody for three and a half years before coming up with a shocker of a performance once the pressure is on in a tight one-off match.

Mike Atherton & Darren Gough never won an Ashes series. There are many other players I could have mentioned but these two stand out as a couple of guys who deserved at least one series win over the Aussies.

Paula Radcliffe at the Olympics. Poor Paula, fabulous floppy-headed runner but apart from one world title she has misfired spectacularly when it comes to the big one.

As an aside, one chap who probably would've made this list has now achieved his ultimate ambition after 15 years at the top. I'm not a fan of the Geegees but seeing Tony McCoy win this year's Grand National was a great moment.

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