In subsequent Olympic Games, international media occasionally referred to Moussambani’s potential successors—athletes who might record spectacularly poor times. Before the 2008 Summer Olympics, media in several countries—including Australia, Denmark, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom—suggested that Stany Kempompo Ngangola, a swimmer from Equatorial Guinea, would be the Olympics’ next “Eric the Eel”. The media also described ni-Vanuatu sprinter Elis Lapenmal and Palestinian swimmer Hamza Abdu as “potential successors to Moussambani”. During the Games, Cook Islands swimmer Petero Okotai compared himself to “Eric the Eel” upon recording a disappointing time in his event. In the 2016 Olympic Games, Ethiopian swimmer Robel Habte was dubbed “Robel the Whale” after finishing half a lap behind his competitors in the 100-meter freestyle.
During the 2009 IAAF World Championships, various media around the world, including La Nación and the Daily Telegraph, described American Samoan sprinter Savannah Sanitoa as “the new Eric ‘the Eel’ Moussambani”. London 2012 Olympic rower Hamadou Djibo Issaka of Niger was compared to Moussambani for his times of 8:25.56 in the 2000 meter men’s single scull qualifying heat and 9:07.99 in the E Semifinals. Both times were over a minute off the next closest competitor in each race. Moussambani’s exploits also triggered comparisons to the 1988 Winter Olympics, when both British ski-jumper Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards and the Jamaican bobsled team became objects of interest and amusement due to their improbable participation in their sports.
