How an Olympic swimmer nearly drowned but accidentally set a world record - NerdFAQs 06

Eric Moussambani is an Olympic swimmer who nearly drowned during his race, while setting the world record for the worst race-winning time in swimming history. How did he (accidentally) do it?
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Music credit:
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Photo credits:
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Footage:
VideoBlocks, IOC

[@knutthompson7879]

A few years of practice later he did manage to break 57 seconds. That isn't particularly close to getting past the heats in an Olympic level meet, but is a very good amateur time. For someone who never swam a stroke before age 22, he deserves a ton of respect.

[@DakonBlackblade2]

That's great to hear, I always wondered what happened to him after that Olympics.

[@justdaniel8239]

I only swim like once a week for fun but Im a pretty built guy and 100meters in 57 seconds seems really good actually. I can barely do 50meters in 30 seconds

[@timanderson5981]

I was just about to post that because I remember reading that he did become a decent swimmer, faster than 99% of people will ever swim. I just looked up the 100m freestyle times on Wikipedia. Eric would have won Gold with 57s at the 1952 Olympics. Definitely not a bad time for someone who didn't start to swim until practically just before the 2000 Olympics.

[@The_ZeroLine]

@@justdaniel8239 You look like you weigh 600 pounds. Do you wear that crazy blue and yellow outfit when you swim?

[@justdaniel8239]

@@The_ZeroLine yes and I also wear to infinity gauntlet with the green stone to warp time and swim everything in zero seconds

[@NickMaovich]

it's stupid to say he was "drowning" tho, he was completely fine

[@DakonBlackblade2]

Ye, very tired but definitely not drowning

[@estoniass]

Thanks for letting me know that i have to dislike this video and stop watching it. I knew of Moussambani and thought that this would give me some new info but yeah no :P

[@anqeicreations8005]

@@estoniass No need to dislike the video, (i mean it's ur choice) but the title never said he did drown just "almost". And he explained the situation not to terribly.

[@slkalmuhairi]

this video needed a dislike count

[@cyathoris7530]

No, he fainted right afterwards so he may have drowned

[@gregspeakie4635]

2:12 He did a tumble turn! Pretty impressive for only 4 months training

[@msolec2000]

He didn't even know that was a thing. He saw it for the first time when other swimmers did it on their heats.

[@shanksre6186]

All things considered, he did well.

[@israeliana]

He is remarkable and I'm also proud of him for persevering.

[@uglydemon5189]

love me

[@Fuzcapp]

Not embarrassing at all. Eric is a legend. After this a coach in America took interest in him and I believe he got his 100m time down under a minute. The condescending nature of this video is completely wrong. Eric was beloved at the Sydney Olympics - sometimes Americans need to take a good hard look at themselves naked in a mirror. Eric the Eel ROCKS! Respect from Sydney.

[@metalheadmachine4861]

Embarassing????? We LOVED Eric the Eel He was cheered as much as Australian athletes by Australians

[@ThePoohat]

yeah. i turned 10 the day of the opening ceremony and Eric made me know equatorial guinea. only 3 athletes earned Aussie nick names, thorpedo, jumpin' jye, and eric the eel. good times.

[@metalheadmachine4861]

Australia loved him so much He was invited and flown over to participate in swimming Charity events He symbolised what the Olympics is all about And

[@theotimepinchart7724]

And?

[@simoneroncato685]

And.

[@zaphrode4110]

and what?

[@-Ashie...]

&?

[@roli124]

Swimming a 100 meters without stopping is no easy feat without training for it. So all things considered he did quite good. Also the double disqualification at the beginning was quite comical lol.

[@chilly2171]

4 months training, but that timing is pretty good, most average swimmers can't swim at that time.

[@joesr31]

@@chilly2171 1:48 is not a good time for an average swimmer lol, unless you count those that play in the pool once a week as swimmers. Some competitive swimmers hit that time when they are 5-6yo

[@chilly2171]

@@joesr31 competitive swimmer here. It is pretty good for someone 4 months in.

[@joesr31]

@@chilly2171 yeah its pretty good for 4 months, what I'm disagreeing with is the "most average swimmers can't swim at that time" part. Unless you consider people who swim leisurely as "swimmers" if not most swimmers would beat that time.

[@TheJoy___]

He was fit as fuck though! Definitely an athlete to begin with.

[@gavinandrews843]

He did 56.9 eventually for the 100 free. No mean feat!!

[@minayoussef7227]

No he did 1:56.9

[@gavinandrews843]

​@@minayoussef7227 he did 152.72 in that race, he eventually did 56.9 for the same race 2 years later.

[@hamerchein3414]

@@gavinandrews843 that’s an unbelievable fast progress 🙌

[@thesonofthesun2]

@@hamerchein3414 bullshit! Show me the evidence

[@peter130476]

@@gavinandrews843 I don't think so. Later edit: apparently you are right. Wikipedia says so. Although I'd like to see that race.

[@DaoSeeker]

No wonder he did so poorly, they didn't train him how to swim, they trained him how not to drown... lol

[@shawnidior4140]

Aye I’m really weak fr stfu 🤣🤣🤣

[@MrTheclevercat]

I fucking love that he became a coach of the national team. What a Chad.

[@BoB_Defeater]

Atleast he tried his best to complete the race 👏

[@postingyou]

He won the race

[@yasuof3291]

Yes I’m very happy for him

[@computertechhelper]

Well it was only him in it 😂😂😂

[@linearmemories]

His time was low key good for someone who’s been swimming for only a few months 😎

[@main8824]

Some people have to practise for years, yet he only practised for 4 months. Really shocking.

[@joesr31]

Not really....if he really trained like a competitive swimmer (ie twice daily, 3hr sessions) he would be able to do much better than what he did

[@linearmemories]

@@joesr31 6 hours a day is more like a professional swimmer lol not just a competitive one

[@joesr31]

@@linearmemories lol i trained 6 hours a day when I was 13, no way a professional, so did all my squad mates as well as most competitive swimmers I know. We were all still students at that time as well. to be fair, school days we had 2hrs morning session, 2hrs afternoon session, 1hr gym, so its more of 5hrs a day, its Saturdays and school holidays where we train 6-7hrs a day since we do not have school. Sunday afternoon was off, so we only have 3hrs for sunday as well.

[@Reno-el6iv]

@@joesr31yeah “13 years old” he started when he’s a “adult”

[@metalheadmachine4861]

And he also broke his own nations national record

[@georgefriedrich3710]

Great to see someone that does not give up!!

[@anthonylemkendorf3114]

Everyone loves a sincere underdog ! It’s a God like quality!

[@floridaboy3432]

Task failed successfully

[@backedupwithtruth7525]

He is a legend. I still remember him❤ A true athletic hero not embarrassing at all bless his heart

[@LinusBerglund]

1.52 is pretty good. When I had been swimming for 4 months I don't think I could finish 100 freestyle. Then again, that guy didn't get that ripped in only four months...

[@MikojinToyunda]

For someone who just learn how to swim, it's still a great performance. In comparison, my best at 50m is 15m Lol !! I only know how to swim enough to get out of water !

[@EggwithSubscribers-mz9du]

I taught myself how to swim at 12

[@lennon3712]

15m? Check the doctors

[@sydneyrennerthomas6629]

😹😹😹 I only know how to swim enough to get out of water

[@patrick101ducoing4]

I’m actually so proud of this man

[@blipco5]

He won every Olympic race he entered. Legend 👏

[@yellowpineapple6107]

imagine being called an "eel" as your legacy

[@deanc2000]

Wow. I don't think I could have done it if I only learned 4 months previous. That is an astounding feat for a beginner.

[@MrRodzilla]

hes obviously not just some asshole off the street, he had an athletic body

[@SquishyGamers25]

True

[@nkosibless2253]

African genes

[@damuvang1915]

This video is gonna blow up soon.

[@perthrockskinda2946]

Holly shit! That is horrific. Poor fella being put into that position.

[@cm6995]

He was fit, young and fit. I can't swim across a small pool without stopping.

[@golvellius6855]

Amazing thanks for sharing

[@abelrichards9640]

They got us F’d up😂 I typed in the fastest black swimmer and he popped up.

[@Mandi_Zwane89]

😂😂😂

[@swimfan752]

I mean black swimmers have literally won gold medals but alright

[@muhammadmuaziqbal]

Good that he did what he did, but can someone explain how that heat has only 3 swimmers to begin with?

[@TikeMyson69]

The rest drowned

[@NexBS2022]

Wait ur serious??

[@shaswatadutta4451]

@@NexBS2022 He's joking. I think.. there are roughly 7 to 8 swimmers in each heat.. sometimes equal division of swimmers into heats cannot happen considering there is a limit to the number of heats which can be organized. So, the remaining, which maybe 3, 4, 5 etc are kept in a separate heat. I think this was such a situation.

[@joesr31]

First heat is usually the slowest heat (except may be in lane 4 who could beat swimmers in heat 2 side lanes). It usually goes like that, last heat, fastest swimmers (ie. Top 8 qualifying times), followed by 2nd last heat (next 8 fastest swimmers) and so on. So him being last heat with only 3 people, means if you divide total participants by 8, you’ll have a remainder of 3 swimmers

[@grahamdemoraes2992]

There was long distance runner at Tokyo in 1960 Olympic from Sri Lanka (Ceylon) who got the nickname, The Greatest Looser… As this one it also an impressive story…

[@flamingrubys11]

How do you only have 46 subscribers?

[@kedanpie4409]

Eric’s a true Olympian don’t know why the video think it’s the worst thing.

[@mohammadal-drees3106]

I remember him from back in the day… I used to live in New Zealand!

[@jackczajkowski6478]

A true Legend. Great story

[@brashka8452]

Absolute legend.

[@jshock1695]

I saw this and was wondering why he was so slow at swimming if he was in the olimpics but now I get it

[@The_ZeroLine]

Guy still looked in damn good shape. No one’s laughing at his six pack.

[@tazerknight1]

Wow that was very brave of him. Good job

[@ellenccke141]

God bless you Eric 🙏❤

[@LIGOS625801]

No word record was set, nobody drowned, a clickbait title

[@budgiebreder]

He did really well for someone who had no clue how to swim!

[@merseywhogirl3430]

Well, at least he set a record!!! Oh, and he didn't drown trying!!!

[@janzumstein8241]

Okay, I thought that he did really well and almost beat the wr for the fastest time. But no. I it's still a wr but I wouldn't call it like that.

[@eltfell]

Real sportsmanship, like Eddie the Eagle.

[@thatmaninblack]

He is a legend for sure. 💯👍

[@kindnessfirst9670]

Actually his swim tied for the SHORTEST first place win in Olympic swimming history- 100 meters to be exact. However it was the slowest.

[@petermckernan3661]

What un incredible story

[@bernardobila4336]

What a legend

[@tkralva.6668]

I know how to swim, and I can only do 100m non-stop backstroke, and it takes me about 2 mins. Front crawl I have to stop and get my breath back for a couple of minutes at the end of the pool. And the one time I swam 800m, after specific training, it took me 37 minutes (albeit open water). So all in all his efforts are very commendable and not an embarrassment at all. In fact it proves to us all that if we try we can.

[@rainerwahnsinn9585]

That´s the olympic spirit

[@Juddlind]

Movie time someone make a movie

[@nogueiradario]

Man, this wasnt embarrassing

[@beachdays561]

Bloody champion!!

[@flowrepins6663]

what record?

[@chrism6994]

He was/ is the slowest winner in a 100m Freestyle Olympic race.

[@eminem565]

@@chrism6994 lol

[@capnsean8365]

No wonder he's so slow, imagine swimming 50 meters with 10 ton balls dragging along. Dude never saw a pool and thought he could take on the likes of Thorpe, Phelps, Lochte... courage!

[@k1moi]

Im not even sure if this is ironic or not

[@christylewis6874]

Eric story 😪

[@ayme5868]

He better than me i would have gotten DOMS at the 50 meter mark

[@ayyanst5021]

inspiring

[@bruh-ec4qs]

Éric the eel

[@antachseo3842]

In spanish we will say "sustos que dan gusto" to this fkekfnf "Fears situation that come out unexpectedly great" is my best gess to translate this fjfjxnf

[@janfranceskyle4352]

For a video like this only a few subscribers for you? Auto-sub.

[@HighL0W]

Well Wikipedia said it happened so it must be true….does anyone have actual swimming meet result to show his times? Better yet a current video of his stroke!

[@Ricobaca]

Who paid for those pools.

[@austinlane5064]

I think it’s misleading to say he won, he just won the first of many preliminary heats. Great story tho

[@tsumichama]

I would have drowned. 100%

[@elivandrisse]

I don't even have to enter the pool to die

[@mousesupremacy5556]

Big Bruh Moment

[@troyb1278]

Talk about exaggeration He didn't nearly drown...🙄

[@LK-cj5wv]

If you watch the entire segment of his meet (100ms freestyle where the other two fellas were DQ'd, so he had to swim alone), you can tell, that he clearly struggled to reach the wall. At some point he even was moving backwards. An elite competitive swimmer could easily swam 200meters before Eric finished his 100. LOL

[@tagosadilim]

And then people started googling where the fck is Equatorial Guinea?

[@richardjefferson4958]

I love it

[@nicholasisdale5]

He's my idol

[@computertechhelper]

Someone lied on their cv 😂

[@stephaniegyamfi5276]

50 meters! i swim at 2!

[@minayoussef7227]

Yeah I swim at 24

[@shandymuktiprasetio937]

It’s sluggish

[@mitchelljack1590]

Fuck he was jacked

[@TheIslandstyle11]

Eric's students be like, "Coach I heard u broke record at the Olympics!" ..for the slowest swimmer😂

[@SasquatchAgario]

look at his best time vs this

[@pulguinha682]

slowest swimmer to win*

[@jermainegray9688]

Dwl😂

[@veezo2323]

HAHAHAHA!! WTF!! 😂😂🤣🤣😭😭😭

[@gotama570]

Hahahaha he is a legend

[@stayontrack]

???????? how are there only 3 people entering the 100 free in the olympics two of which false start and one who can barely swim. I smell bs

[@maxoldham9278]

This was heat 1 of 10 and they basically go slowest to fastest, so he actually came 71st

[@maruparra1963]

This is the olimpics, he shouldn’t be there. This is a joke

[@FolkeBernadotte2]

Shouldn’t swimmers go through some qualification process/competition before they go to the Olympics?! For that matter, shouldn’t he had to compete against African swimmers in order to be allowed in the Olympics?!

[@DakonBlackblade2]

They do, but the Olympics also have some rules that enforce X number of athletes from a certain continent or region, and when those numbers aren't met trough the normal qualification process some ppl can get in via invites and such.

[@ugiboogy1111]

Africa isn't a country, not sure how a continent is relevant here.

[@FolkeBernadotte2]

@@ugiboogy1111 Athletes have a quota by continents. For instance in men’s football competition they have 3 Asian teams (plus Japan as it’s the hosting nation), 3 African teams, in addition to specific number teams from Europe & the Americas. Look at the Olympic flag. The circles represent the world continent.

[@DakonBlackblade2]

@@ugiboogy1111 There is a per continent quota even on individual sports.

[@leowong2613]

Bruh

[@amylu8337]

From this event a new position was added to the event of swimming…lifeguards

[@mysteriousDSF]

Read up about this guy a bit more, he's nothing but admirable and a legend, this video is totally wrong.

[@angelo-nk7zv]

Praise Jesus Christ

[@stephanfourie6879]

How did he get there in the 1st place!? Its f.... pathetic!! Hero my axxxxx!!

[@ems7623]

So, he's a fool of epic proportions and a very lucky man

[@Chris-jw8vm]

"The longest 1st place win in Olympic history." Not really a record to be proud of. I'm guessing he could have doggy paddled there and back and he would have still won without opposition.

[@applesaucemapping1010]

Still considered an achievement

[@seanadam5912]

Chris Nelson the mans got a huge spirit tho

[@Chris-jw8vm]

Winning a race without opposition is hardly a achievement.

[@hiddenname7232]

Let's see your fat ass do it under 2 minutes. The guy learned how to swim in 4 months lol

[@davidgoodliff4486]

Oh come on guys, we'd ALL go to the Olympics and take part if we could. Just to live in the Olympic village and have the experience. Loads of people go to the Olympics and win nothing. It still looks great on the cv. That's why the San Marino football team agree to play matches. They know they will lose but get free flights all over the world and play on the best pitches in the world against the biggest stars in the world. Be honest. You would if you could. So would I.

[@Juddlind]

I can swim faster than him and tbis man won the olympics

[@breadbread8103]

Spread the word about God

[@lucayt3671]

I am 13 years old, I do 1:06.80 in a 100 freestyle, lol

[@guessagain-et1rg]

i can swim faster then that lol

[@robohjhonson3711]

Not the point buddy, you weren’t even In The olympics

[@april7759]

i don't think this is true, first of all only 3 people swimming in a final? weird... and your country can send whoever they want, but there is certain time cut offs you have to reach to compete in finals. a lot of holes in this story, more than what i explained, so i'm not sure about the actuality of this story

[@gigaslime3627]

This is so stupid