Stingray Assumes Eric's Mantle

Newcastle Herald

Thursday August 14, 2008

By JOHN-PAUL MOLONEY Canberra Times

YOU'VE heard of Eric the Eel. Now you're about to meet one of his good mates, Stany the Stingray.

Following in the wake of Eric Moussambani, the loveable loser who grabbed the attention of the world in the 100 metres swim at Sydney in 2000, Democratic Republic of Congo swimmer Stany Kempompo Ngangola will compete tonight as a wildcard entrant in the 50m freestyle heats.

The official start list has his ranking time for his heat as an astonishingly slow one minute, 15 seconds.

But Kempompo Ngangola, who saw his listed heat time for the first time yesterday, insisted he was faster than he had been given credit for, suggesting officials had mistakenly used his 100m time although he said even that was a more acceptable 1:03.

But is he faster than his sometime training partner the Eel, who according to team official Jean Jaques Kawen was originally from DR Congo?

"I can never talk about beating Eric, because he is my good friend," Kempompo Ngangola, an electrical engineer by trade, said.

"Now you please wait and you are going to see me swim tomorrow and see the difference between Eric and me.

"I can never talk bad about him."

Canberra Times

© 2008 Newcastle Herald

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