Eric Moussambani

This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Moussambani and the second or maternal family name is Malonga.
Eric Moussambani
Personal information
Full name Eric Moussambani Malonga
Born (1978-05-31) May 31, 1978
Sport
Country  Equatorial Guinea
Event(s) 100 m freestyle

Eric Moussambani Malonga (born May 31, 1978) is a swimmer from Equatorial Guinea. Nicknamed "Eric the Eel" by the media after the name first appeared in an article by Craig Lord in The Times newspaper in London, Moussambani won brief international fame at the 2000 Summer Olympics. He swam his heat of the 100 m freestyle in 1:52.72.[1] His time was more than double that of his faster competitors, and outside the time for the 200 m world record. He set a new personal best and Equatoguinean national record.[2] He later became the coach of the national swimming squad of Equatorial Guinea.

Career

Moussambani gained entry to the Olympics without meeting the minimum qualification requirements via a wildcard draw designed to encourage participation by developing countries lacking full training facilities. While Pieter van den Hoogenband won in a time of 48.30 seconds (setting a world record of 47.84 in the semi-finals), Moussambani took more than twice that time to finish (1:52.72). "The last 15 metres were very difficult", Moussambani said. Because the other two swimmers in his heat made false starts, and were thus disqualified, he won the heat unopposed.

Before coming to the Olympics, Moussambani had never seen a 50 m (160 ft) long Olympic-size swimming pool. He took up swimming eight months before the Olympics and had practiced in a lake, and later a 12-metre swimming pool in a hotel[3] in Malabo.[4]

His performance generated spectator and media interest in Paula Barila Bolopa, the only other Equatoguinean swimmer at the 2000 Summer Olympics. He competed in the men's 50 meters freestyle event, struggling to finish the race with a time of 1:03.97. In setting a record for the slowest time in Olympic history for that event, he also achieved major celebrity status.[5][6]

Despite lowering his personal best down to under 57 seconds,[7] Moussambani was denied entry into the 2004 Olympic Games due to a visa bungle.[8] He did not take part in the 2008 Summer Olympics.[9] In March 2012 he was appointed coach of the national swimming squad of Equatorial Guinea.[10]

Similarly acclaimed athletes

In subsequent Olympic Games, international media occasionally referred to Moussambani's potential successors—athletes who might record spectacularly poor times. Before the 2008 Summer Olympics, media in several countries—including Australia, Denmark, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom—suggested that Stany Kempompo Ngangola, a swimmer from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, would be the Olympics' next "Eric the Eel".[11][12][13][14][15] The media also described ni-Vanuatu sprinter Elis Lapenmal and Palestinian swimmer Hamza Abdu as "potential successors to Moussambani".[16] During the Games, Cook Islands swimmer Petero Okotai compared himself to "Eric the Eel" upon recording a disappointing time in his event.[17] In the 2016 Olympic Games, Ethiopian swimmer Robel Habte was dubbed "Robel the Whale" after finishing half a lap behind his competitors in the 100-meter freestyle.[18]

During the 2009 IAAF World Championships, various media around the world, including La Nación and the Daily Telegraph, described American Samoan sprinter Savannah Sanitoa as "the new Eric 'the Eel' Moussambani".[19][20] London 2012 Olympic rower Hamadou Djibo Issaka of Niger was compared to Moussambani for his times of 8:25.56 in the 2000 meter men's single scull qualifying heat and 9:07.99 in the E Semifinals.[21][22] Both times were over a minute off the next closest competitor in each race. Moussambani's exploits also triggered comparisons to the 1988 Winter Olympics, when both British ski-jumper Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards and the Jamaican bobsled team became objects of interest and amusement due to their improbable participation in their sports.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Lord, Craig (2000-09-19). "Courage on the blocks". Sydney Olympics 2000: Swimming News Archive. The Times. Retrieved 2008-05-09. Moussambani would plough a lonely lane for his finest 1mins 52.7 sec, though it felt like an hour. Equatorial Guinea’s aquatic answer to Eddie the Eagle - Eric the Eel - churned the lane in which Ian Thorpe had raced to a silver medal in 1 min 45 sec over double the distance the day before.
  2. ↑ Wallis, Holly (8 August 2012). "London 2012: The Olympic also-rans". BBC News. Retrieved 2012-08-09.
  3. ↑ "African novice makes big splash," BBC News, September 19, 2000
  4. ↑ "Olympian from the Equator wins at a crawl", The Guardian, September 20, 2000
  5. ↑ "Barila Bolopa paddles her way to Olympic stardom", Agence France-Presse, September 21, 2000
  6. ↑ "'Paula the Crawler' sets record", BBC, September 22, 2000
  7. ↑ Brown, Alex (2004-08-06). "Struggling to keep himself afloat". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2001-05-31. Despite cutting his personal best for the 100m from 1 minute 52.72 seconds in Sydney to under 57s today, a sponsorless, near-broke Moussambani fears that failure to compete in Athens will force him into retirement.
  8. ↑ "Eric 'the Eel' misses Games". BBC Sport. 2004-08-09. Retrieved 2001-05-31. Eric 'the Eel' Moussambani's chances of competing at the Athens Olympics have been scuppered by problems over his application form. Officials were unable to locate his passport photograph, preventing him from competing for Equatorial Guinea.
  9. ↑ "Famously slow swimmer Eric Moussambani set for Olympic return as Eq. Guinea coach". 30 March 2012.
  10. ↑ Eric Moussambani nuevo entrenador del equipo nacional de natación, guineaecuatorialpress, March 10, 2012.
  11. ↑ "Mød Stany the Stingray", Ekstra Bladet, August 15, 2008
  12. ↑ "En Sydney fue Mussambani; en Pekín, el congoleño Ngangola", La Nacion, August 15, 2008
  13. ↑ "Move over Eddie the Eagle and éric the Eel", The Gazette, August 15, 2008
  14. ↑ "Stany the stingray", Sydney Morning Herald, August 14, 2008
  15. ↑ "'The Snail' takes up where 'The Eel' left off", The Independent, August 15, 2008
  16. ↑ "Lovable losers - the Olympic ideal or waste of space", AFP, July 6, 2008
  17. ↑ "Games also mean coming in last", International Herald Tribune, August 23, 2008
  18. ↑ "This Ethiopian Olympic swimmer has become an internet sensation after finishing half a lap behind his rivals", Business Insider, August 10, 2016
  19. ↑ "World Athletics: shot-putter Savannah Sanitoa overshadows Usain Bolt's sprint exploits". Daily Telegraph. 2009-08-16. Retrieved 2009-08-20.
  20. ↑ "Sanitoa, la nueva Moussambani" (in Spanish). La Nación. 2009-08-17. Retrieved 2009-08-20.
  21. ↑ Issaka The Otter: Novice from Niger is new Eddie The Eagle after super-slow sculls Steve Anglesey, The Mirror (London). 29 July 2012.
  22. ↑ 'Sculling Sloth' back on water at London Olympics. AP 31 July 2012.

External links

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