Not all heroes Olympics They win gold medals or break world records. In the recent matches in Paris, for example, there was more talk about the Brazilian surfer Gabriel Medina for the spectacular photo they took of him levitating among the waves of Teahupoo than for his bronze. Those disputed in Sydney in the year 2000 were those of Ian Thorpe in water or Marion Jones on the athletics track (later sanctioned for doping), but also those of Eric Moussambaniwhose feat (in life, not in sports) continues to be remembered. The test of 100 meters freestyle that the Equatoguinean swimmer did in the International Aquatic Center It went down in history and was the demonstration of how laughter can become applause. The 14,000 spectators reacted with surprise at first and then with euphoria, cheering on an athlete who was simply fighting to reach the end. He took to the limit like no one else one of the mottos attributed to Pierre de Coubertin, although the phrase is not really from the “father” of the modern Olympic Games: “The most important thing in sport is not to win, but to participate, because it is “Essential in life is not success, but striving to achieve it.” Moussambani took advantage of that moment to give a courage lesson and to serve as a launching pad as example of improvement. «My appearance at the Olympic Games helped my country become better known and I became a sports figure»said.
It was Eric’s first time competing in an Olympic pool and he had only been practicing the sport for eight months. He likes athletics, but… «On the national radio they issued a statement in which they said that they needed swimmers to be part of the athletes of the Swimming Federation. The meeting was at the Ureca hotel and I introduced myself as the only male. A girl also showed up. Only two people,” the swimmer himself revealed in an interview with AFP. The International Olympic Committee had quotas for developing countries and Eric jumped at the opportunity. He could only prepare in the sea and in the hotel pool, where he went from five to six in the morning so as not to disturb the clients. That’s why when he arrived in Sydney he saw the real dimensions and that he had to go and come back and he came to think that he was not going to be able to. I didn’t even know what the Games entailed, although later it became a icon of them. He was even wearing a non-regulation swimsuit, a pair of shorts, and a coach from South Africa lent him another one so he wouldn’t be disqualified, and taught him how to do the turn when he reached 50 meters. In his series he had two companions: Karim Bare of Nigeria and Farkhod Oripov of Tajikistanwho arrived in a situation similar to theirs and were disqualified for doing poorly. That’s why he swam alone on September 19, 2000. Stage fright couldn’t help him. The first pool was slow, but good, the problem was in the second, the return, which seemed too long, although he did not give up. The time he achieved, one minute 52 seconds 72 thousandthsmore than double that of the rest of the competitors; It was the least of it. «I loved when everyone applauded me at the end. “I felt like I had won a medal or something like that,” he acknowledged after the test. The important thing was the example he gave at that moment… And also afterwards. He became famous, appeared on several television shows and obtained sponsorship from some brands. He continued training and managed to lower his record by almost a minute.
When he returned to Guinea, his epic was a boost for his countrywhere swimming pools were built so that the following generations would have more opportunities. There are now two 50 meter ones in Equatorial Guinea. Since 2012, Moussambani, who is computer engineer and also worked in an oil company, he is the coach of his country’s team part time. “I am contributing a lot so that our country can have good swimmers, preparing them fundamentally from a young age,” he says. Now there are boys and girls who dream of being in the Olympic Games. Higinio Ndong Obama Nkara, 25, attended those held in Paris last July and August. He participated in the 50 freestyle and came third in his heat, managing to surpass his best time to leave it at 28.42, the record for his country, although he was far from entering the semifinals.
