Wait a minute, I hear you say. Are you seriously suggesting that Jack Nicklaus, arguably the greatest golfer of all time, underachieved in any way, shape, or form? The short answer to that question is no, not really, but Nicklaus’ name is included here not solely for devilment.

What you may not know is that, while ‘The Golden Bear’ won a record 18 major championships during his career, three more than his nearest pursuer, Tiger Woods, he also finished runner-up in 19 more. Nicklaus turned professional in 1961 and, the following June, recorded the first of 117 professional victories, in the 1962 US Open at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. On that occasion, he beat Arnold Palmer by three strokes in an 18-hole playoff.

However, although still only 22, Nicklaus was playing in his sixth US Open, having already finished second, two strokes behind Palmer, while still an amateur in 1960. Nicklaus would win the US Open again in 1967, 1972 and 1980, but also finished second in 1968, 1971 and 1982. In the Masters Tournament, which he won a record six times between 1963 and 1986, Nicklaus finished tied second three times, in 1964, 1971 and 1981, and second on his own in 1977. Likewise, Nicklaus won the Open Championship three times in 1966, 1970 and 1978, but was second, outright or tied, on six other occasions. It was a similar story in the PGA Championship, which he won five times between 1963 and 1980, but also outright and tied second twice apiece.

All told, in his career as a whole, Nicklaus contested 164 major championships – including an unbroken sequence of 154 between 1957 and 1998 – and his record of 18 wins is unlikely to be beaten any time soon. Granted the narrow margins by which major championships can be won and lost, future generations of golfers can thank their lucky stars that Nicklaus didn’t win more than he did!

Born in Cardiff in 1967, Colin Jackson enjoyed a long, illustrious career during which he was a force majeure in the 110-metre hurdling division, outdoors, and the 60-metre hurdling division, indoors. Outdoors, he was world champion twice, in Stuttgart, Germany in 1993 and in Seville, Spain in 1999 and, indoors, world champion once, in Maebashi, Japan in 1999. Indeed, when winning the gold medal at the 1993 World Championships, Jackson set a new world record, 12.91 seconds, which would not be equalled until 2004 and not beaten until 2006. The following year, in Sindelfingen, Germany, he also set a new indoor world record for the 60-metres hurdles, 7.30 seconds, which was not beaten until 2021.

Of course, Jackson was also a multiple European and Commonwealth champion, so to say that he ‘underchieved’ during his athletics career does him a huge injustice. However, the fact remains that he competed at four consecutive Summer Olympic Games, but came away with a medal – and only a silver medal, at that – once. The closest Jackson came to winning Olympic gold was in Seoul, South Korea in 1988, when he finished runner-up to defending champion Roger Kingdom, although Kingdom ran 12.98 seconds to win by three metres.

Jackson tried again in Barcelona in 1992 but, having won his heat in a time of 13.10 seconds and finished second to eventual gold medallist Mark McKoy in his semi-final in a time of 13.19 seconds, was only seventh in the final in a time of 13.46 seconds. He fared a little better in Atlanta in 1996; his time in the final, 13.19 seconds, was no match for the new Olympic record, 12.95 seconds, set by by gold medallist Allen Johnson, but missed the bronze medal by an agonising 0.02 seconds. Jackson made his final attempt, at the age of 33, in Sydney in 2000, finishing fifth in 13.28 seconds.

The first thing to say is that Devon Loch was, of course, a steeplechaser owned by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, so the ‘nearly man’ should, strictly speaking, be his jockey, Richard ‘Dick’ Francis. However, while Devon Loch was, undoubtedly, the unluckiest Grand National loser in history, on the fateful day in March, 1956, when he collapsed within sight of the winning post, Francis was little more than a disconsolate passenger.

Indeed, Francis, who had been Champion Jockey in 1953/54, had safely negotiated all 30 Grand National fences but, inexplicably, with the race at his mercy, Devon Loch fly-jumped into the air and belly-flopped, unceremoniously, to the ground. His nearest pursuer, ESB, ridden by Dave Dick, galloped past to win by ten lengths. Dick later confessed to being a ‘terribly lucky winner’.

Countless theories, none of which are altogether convincing, have been put forward for what happened to Devon Loch. Devon Loch did prick his ears approaching the wings of the Water Jump, which is bypassed on the second circuit, lending some credence to the theory that he was simply overwhelmed by the crescendo of crowd noise. Had he completed the race, he may well have broken the course record, so out-and-out exhaustion, latent circulatory problems and a condition technically known as ‘equine rhabdomyolysis’, or ‘setfast’, are other possibilities.

Granted that Devon Loch collapsed from the back, but appeared unhurt afterwards, Francis was in favour of the latter condition, which causes tightening of the muscles in the hind quarters. It is interesting to note that Devon Loch had, in fact, done the same thing before, sprawling in full flight during a racecourse gallop at Navan on his last piece of work before moving to England in 1951. Whatever happened, his hind quarters temporarily seized, leaving Francis with no option but to dismount and walk away.

The World Series of Baseball was inaugurated in 1903 and by the end of World War I the Boston Red Sox had already won the championship five times. However, on Boxing Day, 1919, Red Sox owner Harry Frazee sold the talismanic George ‘Babe’ Ruth, a.k.a. ‘The Bambino’, to arch rivals the New York Yankees, leading to a popular superstition, which became known as the ‘Curse of the Bambino’.

Boston Red Sox did not appear in the World Series again until 1946 and, when they did, committed a series of fielding error that led to a play, known for all time as ‘Slaughter’s Mad Dash’, which allowed Enos Slaughter to score the winning run in the decisive seventh games against St. Louis Cardinals. In 1967, the Red Sox defied expectations and achieved what became known as the ‘Impossible Dream’, by reaching the World Series, where they once again faced St. Louis Cardinals. The World Series once again went to the seventh games, which the Cardinals won 7-2.

Eight years later, in 1975, the Red Sox once again appeared in the World Series, this time against Cincinatti Reds, but their luck did not improve. In the sixth game, at Fenway Park, catcher Carlton Frisk hit an oft-replayed game-winning home run, in the twelfth innings, to extend the series to seven games, but the Red Sox lost the decisive seventh game 4-3. In 1986, a fielding error by first baseman Bill Buckner handed game six to the New York Mets and the Red Sox lost the decisive seventh game, yet again, despite leading 3-0 at the bottom of the sixth innings. Finally, after a championship drought of 86 years, the Boston Red Sox won their sixth World Series, beating their old rivals St. Louis Cardinals 4-0 in 2004.