“i`m feeling good… i’m happy!”
他的游泳動作或許不值得一提,但是他的奧運精神讓人永遠難以忘記,記者採訪時,他所說的話,更讓人體驗參與運動競賽,最純粹的樂趣!
艾瑞克·姆薩巴尼(Eric Moussambani,1978年5月31日-),赤道幾內亞男子游泳運動員,他於2000年雪梨奧運中由於努力不懈完成比賽的體育精神而成名。2004年雅典奧運期間,贊助商之一的VISA信用卡就曾以他與坦尚尼亞馬拉松運動員阿赫瓦里等人作為電視廣告的演員之一。
事實上,姆薩巴尼並不是一位專業的游泳運動員,他在2000年雪梨奧運前的九個月才於該國首都馬拉博的酒店非標準游泳池學會游泳。於2000年9月,他因取得國際奧委會派發的「外卡」而獲得男子100米自由游小項的參賽資格。比賽當天,排在第5道的姆薩巴尼與塔吉克的奧里波夫及奈及利亞的凱瑞姆巴爾進行初賽。雖然奧里波夫與凱瑞姆巴爾先後因偷步而被取消資格,但基於國際賽事的游泳比賽是以完成賽事時間來確定出線資格,因而姆薩巴尼依然要完成賽事。在首50米,姆薩巴尼以40.97秒完成。最後的15米中,他的速度漸漸減慢,台上不少的觀眾亦站起來為他打氣。最終,他以1:52:72完成賽事,是自1896年第一屆現代奧運以來最慢的100米自由游成績。賽後他向記者表示在最後15米中由於體力不支而創下該成績。由於姆薩巴尼盡力完成賽事的體育精神深得民心,主辦國澳洲的報章在翌日亦有報導此事。2004年的雅典奧運中,姆薩巴尼因簽證問題而無法參賽,而在北京奧運,姆薩巴尼並未參賽。
Moussambani gained entry to the Olympics without meeting the minimum qualification requirements via a wildcard 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 long Olympic-size swimming pool. He took up swimming only eight months before the Olympics and had practiced in a 20 m pool at a hotel in Malabo.
He set a new personal best and Equatoguinean national record.
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.
參考圖文網址:
http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%89%BE%E7%91%9E%E5%85%8B%C2%B7%E5%A7%86%E8%96%A9%E5%B7%B4%E5%B0%BC
http://sport.idnes.cz/eric-moussambani-bude-trenerem-plavcu-rovnikove-guineje-na-hrach-v-londyne-1uv-/sporty.aspx?c=A120404_214341_sporty_par
http://mtisui.blogbus.com/logs/27632781.html
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/country/Equatorial%20Guinea/665635
https://swimpros.org/wp-admin/post.php?post=148&action=edit&message=1