Eric Moussambani
Encyclopedia
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
when he swam his heat of the 100 m freestyle
in 1:52.72. His time was more than twice that of his faster competitors, and outside even the 200 m world record. However, he set a new personal best and Equatoguinean national record.
draw designed to encourage developing countries
without expensive training facilities to participate. While Pieter van den Hoogenband
set a world record of 47.84 seconds to win the gold medal, Moussambani splashed his way to the finish to the cheers of the crowd in slightly more than twice that time. "The last 15 meters were very difficult," Moussambani said.
Before coming to the Olympics, Moussambani had never seen a 50 m (164 ft) long Olympic-size swimming pool. He took up swimming only eight months before the Olympics and had practiced in a 20 m (65.6 ft) pool at a hotel in Malabo
.
His performance generated spectator and media interest in the only other Equatoguinean swimmer at the Sydney Olympics, Paula Barila Bolopa
, who competed in the women's 50 meters freestyle event. Barila struggled to finish the race with a time of 1:03.97, setting a record for the slowest time in Olympic history for that event, and also achieved minor celebrity status.
Moussambani was denied entry into the 2004 Olympic Games due to a visa
bungle, despite the vast improvement in his swimming over the previous four years, with his personal best down to under 57 seconds. He did not take part in 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". The media also described ni-Vanuatu sprinter Elis Lapenmal
and Palestinian swimmer Hamza Abdu as "potential successors to Moussambani". During the Games, Cook Islands
swimmer Petero Okotai
compared himself to "Eric the Eel" upon recording a disappointing time in his event. During the 2009 IAAF World Championships
various media around the world, including La Nación
and the Daily Telegraph, described American Samoa
n sprinter Savannah Sanitoa
as "the new Eric "the Eel" Moussambani".
Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea, officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea where the capital Malabo is situated.Annobón is the southernmost island of Equatorial Guinea and is situated just south of the equator. Bioko island is the northernmost point of Equatorial Guinea. Between the two islands and to the...
. Nicknamed "Eric the Eel" by the media after the name first appeared in an article by Craig Lord in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
newspaper in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Moussambani won brief international fame at the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
when he swam his heat of the 100 m freestyle
Freestyle swimming
Freestyle is an unregulated swimming style used in swimming competitions according to the rules of FINA. The front crawl stroke is almost universally used during a freestyle race, as this style is generally the fastest...
in 1:52.72. His time was more than twice that of his faster competitors, and outside even the 200 m world record. However, he set a new personal best and Equatoguinean national record.
Career
Moussambani gained entry to the Olympics without meeting the minimum qualification requirements via a wildcardWild card (sports)
The term wild card refers broadly to a tournament or playoff berth awarded to an individual or team that has not qualified through normal play.-International sports:...
draw designed to encourage developing countries
Developing country
A developing country, also known as a less-developed country, is a nation with a low level of material well-being. Since no single definition of the term developing country is recognized internationally, the levels of development may vary widely within so-called developing countries...
without expensive training facilities to participate. While Pieter van den Hoogenband
Pieter van den Hoogenband
Pieter Cornelis Ruud Martijn van den Hoogenband is a Dutch former swimmer and a triple Olympic champion.-Personal life:...
set a world record of 47.84 seconds to win the gold medal, Moussambani splashed his way to the finish to the cheers of the crowd in slightly more than twice that time. "The last 15 meters were very difficult," Moussambani said.
Before coming to the Olympics, Moussambani had never seen a 50 m (164 ft) long Olympic-size swimming pool. He took up swimming only eight months before the Olympics and had practiced in a 20 m (65.6 ft) pool at a hotel in Malabo
Malabo
Malabo is the capital of Equatorial Guinea, located on the northern coast of Bioko Island on the rim of a sunken volcano....
.
His performance generated spectator and media interest in the only other Equatoguinean swimmer at the Sydney Olympics, Paula Barila Bolopa
Paula Barila Bolopa
Paula Barila Bolopa, born in 1981 or 1982, is a swimmer from Equatorial Guinea. She was one of two Equatorial Guinean swimmers to compete at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, the other being Eric Moussambani....
, who competed in the women's 50 meters freestyle event. Barila struggled to finish the race with a time of 1:03.97, setting a record for the slowest time in Olympic history for that event, and also achieved minor celebrity status.
Moussambani was denied entry into the 2004 Olympic Games due to a visa
Visa (document)
A visa is a document showing that a person is authorized to enter the territory for which it was issued, subject to permission of an immigration official at the time of actual entry. The authorization may be a document, but more commonly it is a stamp endorsed in the applicant's passport...
bungle, despite the vast improvement in his swimming over the previous four years, with his personal best down to under 57 seconds. He did not take part in the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
.
Similarly-acclaimed athletes
In subsequent Olympic Games, international media occasionally referred to Moussambani's potential successors — athletes who might record spectacularly poor times. Prior to the 2008 Summer Olympics2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
, media in several countries—including Australia, Denmark, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom—suggested that Stany Kempompo Ngangola
Stany Kempompo Ngangola
Stany Kempompo Ngangola, born January 8, 1974, is a swimmer and electrical engineer from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.He represented his country at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Due to a misprint in his personal best time, he was rumoured by the international media to be a potential...
, a swimmer from the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
, would be the Olympics' next "Eric the Eel". The media also described ni-Vanuatu sprinter Elis Lapenmal
Elis Lapenmal
Elis Lapenmal is a ni-Vanuatu sprinter.Competing at the World Athletics Championships in 2007, Lapenmal ran the 100 metres in 13.10 seconds...
and Palestinian swimmer Hamza Abdu as "potential successors to Moussambani". During the Games, Cook Islands
Cook Islands
The Cook Islands is a self-governing parliamentary democracy in the South Pacific Ocean in free association with New Zealand...
swimmer Petero Okotai
Petero Okotai
Petero James Moeava Okotai is a Cook Islands swimmer.He grew up in Papua New Guinea where he began swimming at the age of 5, then stopped upon returning to the Cook Islands at the age of 11, due to the absence of a pool...
compared himself to "Eric the Eel" upon recording a disappointing time in his event. During the 2009 IAAF World Championships
2009 World Championships in Athletics
The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg Gate....
various media around the world, including La Nación
La Nación
La Nación is an Argentine daily newspaper. The country's leading conservative paper, the centrist Clarín is its main competitor. It is the only newspaper in Argentina still published in broadsheet format.-Overview:...
and the Daily Telegraph, described American Samoa
American Samoa
American Samoa is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the sovereign state of Samoa...
n sprinter Savannah Sanitoa
Savannah Sanitoa
Savannah Sanitoa is a track and field athlete who competes internationally for American Samoa. She is most famous for competing at the 100 metres sprint at the 2009 IAAF World Championships in Berlin....
as "the new Eric "the Eel" Moussambani".
See also
- Eddie 'the Eagle' EdwardsEddie 'the Eagle' EdwardsMichael Edwards , better known as Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards, is a British skier who was the first competitor to represent Great Britain in Olympic ski jumping...
- Philip BoitPhilip BoitPhilip Kimely Boit is a cross-county skier and the first Kenyan to participate in the Winter Olympics. His first name is sometimes spelled as "Phillip"....
- Paula Barila BolopaPaula Barila BolopaPaula Barila Bolopa, born in 1981 or 1982, is a swimmer from Equatorial Guinea. She was one of two Equatorial Guinean swimmers to compete at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, the other being Eric Moussambani....
- Savannah SanitoaSavannah SanitoaSavannah Sanitoa is a track and field athlete who competes internationally for American Samoa. She is most famous for competing at the 100 metres sprint at the 2009 IAAF World Championships in Berlin....
- Jamaican bobsled team
- Trevor MisipekaTrevor MisipekaTrevor Misipeka is a professional American football arena football player from Temecula, California, United States. He currently plays for the Quad City Steamwheelers in the Arena Football League's af2 league....
External links
- Archive of a fansite
- Video of Moussambani's 2000 Olympic heat featuring commentary by Roy and HGRoy and HGRoy & HG is an Australian comedy duo, comprising Greig Pickhaver in the role of "H [Harry] G Nelson" and John Doyle as "'Rampaging' Roy Slaven". Their act is an affectionate but irreverent parody of Australia's obsession with sport. Their characters based on archetypes in sports journalism: Nelson...
on their program The DreamThe Dream with Roy and HGThe Dream with Roy and HG was a sports/comedy talk show, broadcast every night during the Sydney 2000, Salt Lake 2002 and Athens 2004 Olympics, presented by Australian comedy duo Roy and HG....