For eight months, Equatorial Guinea’s Eric Moussambani trained in the only swimming pool he could find. The hotel pool in Malabo was 20 meters long and had no lane markers. He did not meet the qualifying standards for the Olympic Games.
But Moussambani was invited to be part of the Olympic Games in Sydney in 2000 through a wildcard program. It was started to allow athletes from poor countries a chance to compete.
Moussambani had never swum a distance of more than 50 meters and had never even seen a pool that long. A race of 100 meters was a tough ask for the then 22-year-old. He completed the distance in 1:52:72, more than twice the time it took all the other swimmers to finish.
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 18: Edwin Ekiring of Uganda plays a shot during his badminton at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre during day three of the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games March 18, 2006 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)
Moussambani, who became known as Eric the Eel, won hearts that day as the crowd cheered him to the finish, no matter how long it took.
Today, his story is only remembered for its novelty value, but it carries a deeper meaning. It illustrates a problem that has plagued Africa for as long as it has competed in the Olympic Games—under-achievement. Poor facilities and lack of funds are cited as the main reasons for the scarcity of medals and those two triggers have more intricate undertones. Olympic sports can be elitist and require specialized equipment and coaching, which are not always available in countries struggling to provide for their people.
Every four years, Africa sends a proud, hopeful contingent to the Olympic Games, which the continent is yet to host. Although they often return with little gold, sometimes a success story shines through the clouds. London 2012 could bring more of these rays of hope. Most of them are expected to be in the track and field events where Africa is strong, or in the pool, the ring and a few unlikely places.
Kenya, South Africa and Egypt are Africa’s three most successful teams, with 22, 20 and 10 gold medals respectively, thanks to their runners, swimmers and weight-lifters. Algeria excels at boxing and athletics, where the teams have won all four of their medals. Eritrea is known for its runners and Mali for its footballers, who made it to the semi-finals of the African Nations’ Cup earlier this year.
The running track is still likely to be the key to success for Kenya, but South Africa can rely on an array of sports, including women’s football and hockey teams and a BMX rider, Sifiso Nhlapo.
Egypt will bank on judo, archery and handball and has a team of synchronized swimmers. Algeria has high hopes for its judo pair, Soraya Haddad and Amar Benikhlef.
BEIJING – AUGUST 22: Wania Monteiro of Cape Verde competes in the individual all-around qualification of the rhythmic gymnastics at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing on August 22, 2008. in Beijing, China.(Photo by Bob Thomas/Getty Images)
For the first time, Eritrea has entered a non-runner in the Olympics. Daniel Teklehaimanot has qualified in the men’s road race cycling event, while Mali will be looking for medals in taekwondo, with double champion Daba Modibo Keïta part of the team.
Sport is enriched by the personalities who take part, and the African medal hopefuls have plenty of characters among them. Take Botswana’s Amantle Montsho for a start. When she was 12 years old, her grandfather told her she ran like a boy, but her father allowed her to stick to her running style. She is now the reigning 400-meter world champion and could secure Botswana’s first Olympic medal.
Triumph over adversity is also theme of South Africa’s 800-meter champion, Caster Semenya, who was subjected to a series of gender tests after her victory at the World Championships in Berlin in 2009. She was toppled, faced the possibility of never competing again and was humiliated. Now she has bounced back to qualify for London Olympics, with a point to prove.
Wania Monteiro is Cape Verde’s rhythmic gymnast, an unusual category for an African athlete. She was the country’s flagbearer in Beijing. Benjamin Boukpeti is the holder of Togo’s only Olympic medal—a bronze in the slalom canoe K-1 class.
Angola’s basketball team is the top ranked team in Africa.
Molla Getachew is the only member of Ethiopia’s team who is not a runner. He is a fly-weight boxer and does not even own his own pair of gloves, but will compete using borrowed ones from the gym. Malawi will have a 14-year-old swimmer, Zarra Pinto, while the Ugandans have the continent’s best badminton player in their ranks, Edwin Ekiring.
Somalia is only able to send two athletes: one male, one female, both runners. Abdinasir Saeed and Samiyo Yusuf hope their courage at the games can repair their country’s war-damaged image.
DAEGU, SOUTH KOREA – AUGUST 29: Amantle Montsho of Botswana celebrates with her country’s flag after winning the women’s 400 metres final during day three of the 13th IAAF World Athletics Championships at the Daegu Stadium on August 29, 2011 in Daegu, South Korea. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
Moussambani made records for all the wrong reasons in 2000, but there are some African athletes looking to write their names in Olympic history in London. Some of them are searching for milestones of endurance. Angolan long-distance runner Joäo N’Tyamba is hoping to become the first male athlete to compete in seven Olympic Games.
Zimbabwe’s Kirsty Coventry will aim to win her third 200-meter backstroke after she successfully defended her title in Beijing, an achievement that saw many Zimbabwean babies christened ‘Goldmedal’ in her honor.
Then there are the achievements that represent personal growth. Brimin Kipruto, Kenya’s 3,000-meter steeplechase runner, completed the distance in the second fastest time ever, something he will want to better. Keninisa Bekelel holds the world record and Olympic record for both the 5,000 and 10,000-meter events. He too will want to better this by living up to the mantra of top athletes: I am my own biggest competitor.