Ambling Angela joins list of heroic losers

For a woman who once attempted to walk around the world, 20 kilometres is a mere stroll. And that is exactly what Angela Keogh took in the walking race at the World Athletics Championships.

She was lapped twice by the eventual winner, Russia's Olimpiada Ivanova, and was well behind even before leaving the stadium for the road section.

Much later - 40 minutes after the winner finished - the beaming 39-year-old, originally from Muswell Hill, waved as the Canadian crowd gave her a standing ovation as she recorded a time of two hours, eight minutes and 45 seconds.

She was so slow that the medal ceremony had to be delayed so she could finish the course.

But she is used to keeping people waiting. At the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, she was so slow she was shadowed by an ambulance. She was last again at the Olympic Games in Sydney.

It was 11 years ago that Miss Keogh arrived in Norfolk Island during an attempt to walk around the world. Peopled by descendants of the mutiny on the Bounty, she liked the island so much she stayed. She married builder Terry Jope, a direct descendant of Fletcher Christian who led the mutiny. She began to pursue her love of sport, becoming treasurer of the athletics club, which has only 20 members. She is now their walking champion and represents the island population which is under 2,000.

After today, Miss Keogh, a registrar at a university, will be the most famous person on the island. "I couldn't believe the crowd was cheering for me," she said. "I finished and that's what I wanted to do."

After Eddie the Eagle, Eric the Eel and Trevor Tortoise, all of whom earned sporting fame by being not very good, Ambling Angela is another winner.

And at least her slow pace was sure. Of the 42 athletes in the event, 15 were disqualified for having both feet off the ground at the same time, which is technically running.

Ivanova became world champion after leading the race from start to finish, setting a championship record of 1hr 27min 48sec ahead of Valentina Tsybulskaya of Belarus and Elisabetta Perrone of Italy.

But there is a tradition of losers becoming national heroes. Britain's Eddie the Eagle entered the Calgary Olympics in 1988 and despite wearing Mr Magoo glasses he leapt into the record books as the worst ever Olympic ski jumper. He is now studying for a law degree, paying for his studies by giving ski lessons.

Trevor Misapeka from Western Samoa became famous when his 22-stone body completed the worst ever World Championship 100 metres in 14.28 - four seconds slower than the winner. Eric the Eel - Eric Moussambani - was the heroic swimming failure from Equatorial Guinea who hit the headlines at the Sydney Olympics when he just managed to get to the end of the pool.