desertwind

Eric Moussambani swam for Equatorial Guinea at the 2000 Olympics. He didn't win.

Eric had never seen a big swimming pool before. At home he trains in a 20 metre hotel pool.

The two other entrants in his heat - from Niger and Tajikistan - were both disqualified for false starts, so Eric had to swim by himself.

Also, Eric had never swum a 100 metre race before - something the crowd soon suspected. He swam with his head out of the water and he barely kicked his legs.

In the first lap he was really struggling.
In the second lap he was nearly drowning.

But Eric gave it everything he had. Thirty metres from the finish, 17,000 spectators began to cheer him home, and with each stroke the roar got louder. Ten metres out, he was bobbing like a cork but the crowd was going bananas.

When Moussambani finally hit the wall, the cheering and stamping all but lifted the roof off the stadium.

His time of 1 minute 52 seconds was about a minute slower than all the other competitors. Who cared? Eric Moussambani had given his all.

IN A NUTSHELL

When people know you have given your very best, they usually support you.