May 25, 2023 • 10 mins
When Eric Moussambani made his Olympic debut in the 100m Freestyle at Sydney 2000, it was also his competitive debut. Eight months prior, Eric didn't know how to swim. Now, he was representing Equatorial Guinea on the world stage. Eric made history that day but the experience also changed the rest of his life.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
It's the Sydney Olympics.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Eric Mussumbani steps up to the starting block for the
one hundred meter freestyle. The pool's lanes stretch out into
the distance in front of him. To get to this point,
most Olympic swimmers start competitively training around about the age
of eight. By the time they reach the starting block,
they've probably been competing for over a decade.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
But not Eric. He's never competed in a swimming race before.
In fact, he only learned to swim eight months ago.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Now he's standing in front of an Olympic size swimming
pool for the first time in his life. Eric gets
into position and waits for the starting buzzer. Ah, and
they're off, But Eric is frozen. He's still standing on
(00:58):
the starting block as his competitors dive into the pool.
Eric panics, that's it, He thinks to himself, I'm going
to be disqualified. Hi, welcome to the poolroom, where we
celebrate the winners, losers, and the weird stuff between.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
I'm Tony Armstrong.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
Growing up in Equatorial Guinea, a small country on the
west coast of Central Africa, Eric Mussambarni had never dreamt
of becoming an athlete, let alone competing at the Olympics.
But one day in January of two thousand, Eric heard
and ad on the radio that changed the course of
his life. Equatorial Guinea didn't have much of an athletic program,
(02:04):
but they did receive a few wildcard spots for Sydney
two thousand. It was all part of a program to
get smaller nations represented at the Olympic Games. The radio
ad Eric heard was asking people to try out for Equatorial.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
Guinea's Olympic swimming team.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
With nothing to lose and seeking an adventure, Eric went
along to the tryouts.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
When he arrived, though, he was the only person who
showed up yep. Out of the entire country.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
It was just Eric, so he'd effectively booked his ticket
to Sydney.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
There was just one problem.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Eric didn't know how to swim. Training for an Olympics
is demanding enough for pro athletes, but Eric was the
literal definition of a beginner. And on top of all that,
Equatorial Guinea didn't have a single public pool, so if
Eric was going to learn how to swim, he'd have
to use whatever was available. Eric started by swimming at
(03:12):
the beach local fishermen taught him the basics how to
kick his legs and move his arms through the water,
just so he could learn to stay afloat. But the
ocean is a challenging place to swim. It doesn't exactly
replicate the experience of a swimming pool, so Eric set
out to find one, any pool that he could use.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
Eric learned that.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
A local hotel had a private pool. It was small though,
just thirteen meters, but he could use it for free.
He was limited to an hour between five and six am,
three times a week training on his own, and when
he needed more room to move, he'd swim in a river.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
Neither option was ideal, but it was the best he had.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
After about eight months of training, Eric had built up
his fitness, but he still lacked any real technique. Then,
when he landed in Sydney, the enormity of what he
was about to embark on finally hit It was the
(04:16):
first time Eric had left his country, and after a
three day journey, the sites and sounds of Sydney and
the Olympic village were completely overwhelming. When he got his
first glimpse of a fifty meter swimming pool, the sheer
size of it filled him with fear. This is going
to be difficult, he thought to himself. In the days
(04:38):
leading up to his qualifying event, Eric went to watch
the other team's train.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
He observed their movements and tried to emulate their techniques.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
To everyone else around him, it was clear that Eric
was out of his depth.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
But one person decided to help.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
South Africa's swimming coach pulled Eric aside and gave him
a few pointers. It was the sort of guidance and
encouraging words that he needs, but Eric was still struggling
with the crucial part of swimming, which he'd never.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
Been taught how to breathe properly.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
When race day arrives, Eric is feeling so nervous that
he can't speak to anyone. He joins the other swimmers
in the waiting area and sits quietly listening for his
race to be called. Then finally it comes. There are
just two other competitors alongside Eric in Heat one for
the one hundred meter freestyle. The announcer reads out their
(05:32):
names and respective countries to the applause of the crowd.
Eric hadn't really stopped to think about the thousands of
fans filling the stadium, but now he was about to
compete in front of them. What if they laugh at me,
he thinks to himself.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
There's no turning back now.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
All three swimmers step up to their starting blocks and
prepare to dive in.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
Take your marks, says the official.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
Before Eric knows it. His two competitors are in the water,
but he hasn't moved.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
False start, calls out the official.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Eric gets really anxious. He thinks the false start is
his fault. Eric is sure he's going to be disqualified,
but he's not the swimmer at fault. It's Eric's two
opponents who got it wrong. They went too early. They're
both disqualified, which means Eric is left.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
To swim alone. Lucky he's used to it by now.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
Eric gets into position again and waits for his starting buzza.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
Ah, and he's away.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
It's just him against the clock now, in his first
ever race on the world stage. The crowded cheering him
on too. By the halfway point, Eric is struggling. He's
used up all of his energy within the first fifty meters.
His legs are tiring and his.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
Arms are flailing. But Eric doesn't give up.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
He knows his family and friends back home are watching
and his country is counting on him. But the energetic
crowd cheering him on, Eric keeps going, pushing himself towards
the finish.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
At last, he touches the wall.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
His official time is one point fifty two point seventy
two seconds. It's the slowest in Olympic history for the
one hundred meter freestyle, but it doesn't matter to Eric.
For him, it's a personal best and the national record
for Equatorial Guinea. Eric Mussambani became an Olympic hero overnight.
(07:38):
The world was enthralled with his story and inspired by
his passion, earning him the nickname Eric the Eel. He
showed that the Olympic Games aren't just about winning, They're
also about participation and national pride. That's where most people
think Eric's Olympic story begins and ends, but there's more
(08:01):
to it than that. Following the Sydney two thousand Olympics,
Eric's life looked remarkably different. He could have enjoyed his
moment of fame and moved on, but he was determined
to keep swimming. He wanted to shed his amateur reputation.
Eric continued to train and managed to reach a new
personal best for the one hundred meter freestyle a respectable
(08:22):
fifty six point nine seconds.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
After competing at.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
Other big swimming events like the World Aquatics Championship, Eric
qualified for the two thousand and four Olympics entirely on
his own merit.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
He was no longer an amateur, but Eric never made
it to Athens. Sadly, a passport.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
Issue stopped Eric from traveling to Greece. Eric was angry
and heartbroken. Eventually he decided to retire from swimming, but
hang on. Eric's swimming story still didn't end there. His
achievement at the Sydney Olympics created a legacy in.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
His home country.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
In twenty twelve, Eric Wilson Barney was made the national
coach of Equatorial Guinea swimming team. He put the sport
on the map in his country, which now boasts two
fifty meter swimming pools. As he continues to guide promising
young swimmers. Eric's new dream is to help other athletes
reach the heights of the Olympic Games and see his
country represented on the world stage once again. Good on you, Eric,
(09:48):
thanks for listening to the poolroom. I'm Tony Armstrong and
this has been an iHeart production.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
Catch you next time. No,
It's the Sydney Olympics.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Eric Mussumbani steps up to the starting block for the
one hundred meter freestyle. The pool's lanes stretch out into
the distance in front of him. To get to this point,
most Olympic swimmers start competitively training around about the age
of eight. By the time they reach the starting block,
they've probably been competing for over a decade.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
But not Eric. He's never competed in a swimming race before.
In fact, he only learned to swim eight months ago.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Now he's standing in front of an Olympic size swimming
pool for the first time in his life. Eric gets
into position and waits for the starting buzzer. Ah, and
they're off, But Eric is frozen. He's still standing on
(00:58):
the starting block as his competitors dive into the pool.
Eric panics, that's it, He thinks to himself, I'm going
to be disqualified. Hi, welcome to the poolroom, where we
celebrate the winners, losers, and the weird stuff between.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
I'm Tony Armstrong.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
Growing up in Equatorial Guinea, a small country on the
west coast of Central Africa, Eric Mussambarni had never dreamt
of becoming an athlete, let alone competing at the Olympics.
But one day in January of two thousand, Eric heard
and ad on the radio that changed the course of
his life. Equatorial Guinea didn't have much of an athletic program,
(02:04):
but they did receive a few wildcard spots for Sydney
two thousand. It was all part of a program to
get smaller nations represented at the Olympic Games. The radio
ad Eric heard was asking people to try out for Equatorial.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
Guinea's Olympic swimming team.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
With nothing to lose and seeking an adventure, Eric went
along to the tryouts.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
When he arrived, though, he was the only person who
showed up yep. Out of the entire country.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
It was just Eric, so he'd effectively booked his ticket
to Sydney.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
There was just one problem.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Eric didn't know how to swim. Training for an Olympics
is demanding enough for pro athletes, but Eric was the
literal definition of a beginner. And on top of all that,
Equatorial Guinea didn't have a single public pool, so if
Eric was going to learn how to swim, he'd have
to use whatever was available. Eric started by swimming at
(03:12):
the beach local fishermen taught him the basics how to
kick his legs and move his arms through the water,
just so he could learn to stay afloat. But the
ocean is a challenging place to swim. It doesn't exactly
replicate the experience of a swimming pool, so Eric set
out to find one, any pool that he could use.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
Eric learned that.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
A local hotel had a private pool. It was small though,
just thirteen meters, but he could use it for free.
He was limited to an hour between five and six am,
three times a week training on his own, and when
he needed more room to move, he'd swim in a river.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
Neither option was ideal, but it was the best he had.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
After about eight months of training, Eric had built up
his fitness, but he still lacked any real technique. Then,
when he landed in Sydney, the enormity of what he
was about to embark on finally hit It was the
(04:16):
first time Eric had left his country, and after a
three day journey, the sites and sounds of Sydney and
the Olympic village were completely overwhelming. When he got his
first glimpse of a fifty meter swimming pool, the sheer
size of it filled him with fear. This is going
to be difficult, he thought to himself. In the days
(04:38):
leading up to his qualifying event, Eric went to watch
the other team's train.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
He observed their movements and tried to emulate their techniques.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
To everyone else around him, it was clear that Eric
was out of his depth.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
But one person decided to help.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
South Africa's swimming coach pulled Eric aside and gave him
a few pointers. It was the sort of guidance and
encouraging words that he needs, but Eric was still struggling
with the crucial part of swimming, which he'd never.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
Been taught how to breathe properly.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
When race day arrives, Eric is feeling so nervous that
he can't speak to anyone. He joins the other swimmers
in the waiting area and sits quietly listening for his
race to be called. Then finally it comes. There are
just two other competitors alongside Eric in Heat one for
the one hundred meter freestyle. The announcer reads out their
(05:32):
names and respective countries to the applause of the crowd.
Eric hadn't really stopped to think about the thousands of
fans filling the stadium, but now he was about to
compete in front of them. What if they laugh at me,
he thinks to himself.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
There's no turning back now.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
All three swimmers step up to their starting blocks and
prepare to dive in.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
Take your marks, says the official.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
Before Eric knows it. His two competitors are in the water,
but he hasn't moved.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
False start, calls out the official.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Eric gets really anxious. He thinks the false start is
his fault. Eric is sure he's going to be disqualified,
but he's not the swimmer at fault. It's Eric's two
opponents who got it wrong. They went too early. They're
both disqualified, which means Eric is left.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
To swim alone. Lucky he's used to it by now.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
Eric gets into position again and waits for his starting buzza.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
Ah, and he's away.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
It's just him against the clock now, in his first
ever race on the world stage. The crowded cheering him
on too. By the halfway point, Eric is struggling. He's
used up all of his energy within the first fifty meters.
His legs are tiring and his.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
Arms are flailing. But Eric doesn't give up.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
He knows his family and friends back home are watching
and his country is counting on him. But the energetic
crowd cheering him on, Eric keeps going, pushing himself towards
the finish.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
At last, he touches the wall.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
His official time is one point fifty two point seventy
two seconds. It's the slowest in Olympic history for the
one hundred meter freestyle, but it doesn't matter to Eric.
For him, it's a personal best and the national record
for Equatorial Guinea. Eric Mussambani became an Olympic hero overnight.
(07:38):
The world was enthralled with his story and inspired by
his passion, earning him the nickname Eric the Eel. He
showed that the Olympic Games aren't just about winning, They're
also about participation and national pride. That's where most people
think Eric's Olympic story begins and ends, but there's more
(08:01):
to it than that. Following the Sydney two thousand Olympics,
Eric's life looked remarkably different. He could have enjoyed his
moment of fame and moved on, but he was determined
to keep swimming. He wanted to shed his amateur reputation.
Eric continued to train and managed to reach a new
personal best for the one hundred meter freestyle a respectable
(08:22):
fifty six point nine seconds.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
After competing at.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
Other big swimming events like the World Aquatics Championship, Eric
qualified for the two thousand and four Olympics entirely on
his own merit.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
He was no longer an amateur, but Eric never made
it to Athens. Sadly, a passport.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
Issue stopped Eric from traveling to Greece. Eric was angry
and heartbroken. Eventually he decided to retire from swimming, but
hang on. Eric's swimming story still didn't end there. His
achievement at the Sydney Olympics created a legacy in.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
His home country.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
In twenty twelve, Eric Wilson Barney was made the national
coach of Equatorial Guinea swimming team. He put the sport
on the map in his country, which now boasts two
fifty meter swimming pools. As he continues to guide promising
young swimmers. Eric's new dream is to help other athletes
reach the heights of the Olympic Games and see his
country represented on the world stage once again. Good on you, Eric,
(09:48):
thanks for listening to the poolroom. I'm Tony Armstrong and
this has been an iHeart production.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
Catch you next time. No,
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