Olympic Glory......Not Really #1

Wow, what an Olympics it was in Beijing. Michael Phelps is now officially been labeled the Greatest Olympian of All-Time, but there's one guy who will never be confused with the dolphin-like Phelps. Where Phelps glides through the water like a creature that was born of the sea, this man fights his way through the water like a llama with cement boots. With that being said, we proudly select Eric Moussambani as the worst Olympian of all-time.

Sarcastically nicknamed "The Eel", the pride of Equatorial Guinea broke onto the swimming scene in 2000 at the Summer Olympic Games in Sydney. Where most Olympians train for years preparing for Olympic glory, Moussambani felt that 8 months training in a hotel pool is all he would need to be ready. In a way, I guess he was right, as he actually won his first heat at the Summer Games in the 100m Freestyle event. The other two competitors in his heat were disqualified due to false starts, so technically Moussambani wasn't racing anyone else, but who's keeping track, right?

Now, let's put Moussambani's talent into a little bit of perspective. If you're like me, putting his racing times down won't do much to prove his worthiness of worst Olympian of all-time. In order to properly expose his lack of talent, we must compare him to some of the greatest swimmers in his era. Alexander Popov, one of the greatest swimmers of all-time happened to take home silver in the same event Moussambani was participating in, the 100m freestyle. His silver medal winning time was 48.69 seconds, while Moussambani recorded a sluggish time of just under 1 minute 53 seconds. Theoretically, Popov and the gold medalist, Pieter van den Hoogenband, could have finished their race, dried themselves off, gone to the concession stand to get a hot dog, and returned in time to see Moussambani finish his race. I don't think many Olympians eat hot dogs on a regular basis, so I'm guessing this probably didn't happen. It's still plausible though.

Many have tried to eclipse Moussambani's glory at the Sydney Games, but none have succeeded. Unfortunately, the Sydney Games would be The Eel's only Olympic appearance, but he set the bar for Olympic disappointment. Every 4 years his name is brought up in conversation as the Summer Games are upon us, hoping that the next Eric "The Eel" Moussambani will be discovered. The search continues, and who knows if there will ever be another Olympian like Moussambani.

For his lack of Olympic glory, Moussambani will receive a used swimming speedo and a medal that I have handmade out of tin foil, so Eric, if you're reading this, send me your home address and I'll get that shipped out for you. Congratulations, and thanks for the fond memories.