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Equatorial Guinea back in the spotlight

From Sports Illustrated • SI Images: Gallery 1 | Gallery 2 | Gallery 3 • Brian Cazeneuve: Despite controversy, track athletes excel • E.M. Swift: Horse sense • John Walters: The Channel Guy -- All about Bob (Costas) • Medal Picks: SI's Predictions More Features • Day at a Glance: Running with purpose • Sydney Scene: Luba Vangelova -- Relying on strange logic • Wake-up Call: Tracking the day in sports • Viewers' Guide: Sept. 25 • Quiz: Today's Tester Athletes • 10 Questions: U.S. sprinter Michael Johnson • Just Checking In: U.S. soccer player John O'Brien • Just Checking In: U.S. soccer player Brian Dunseth • In The Village: U.S. beach volleyball player Kevin Wong • Just Checking In: U.S. 400-meter hurdler Angelo Taylor • Head Games: U.S. 1,500-meter runner Jason Pyrah • Athlete Bios: U.S. Rosters Multimedia • Photo Gallery: Fantastic 400s • Photo Gallery: Shots of the Day • Multimedia Central: Photo Galleries, Video and More

SYDNEY, Sept 25 (AFP) - Equatorial Guinea's track and field equivalent of Eric the Eel turned up at Stadium Australia Monday for the opening round of the men's 1500m.

And the end result was pretty much the same as it was in the pool.

Jose Luis Ebatela Nvo, 27, was the tiny African nation's only male entrant in the Olympic athletics competition.

And to make his mark, Ebatela Nvo chose the 1500m, the domain of the peerless Moroccan Hicham El Guerrouj, Kenyan Noah Ngeny and Algerian Nourredine Morceli.

He battled around gamely to finish last in his heat in 4min 06.14sec, about 26sec or half a lap behind winner Medhi Baala of France.

It didn't quite have the dramatic impact of Eric Moussambani's unforgettable cross between swimming and drowning in the men's 100m freestyle earlier in the Games.

Moussambani's exploit made him a media star. Following in the footsteps of hapless ski jumper Eddie the Eagle, he was feted by swimming superstars and equipment manufacturers, his beaming image plastered over Australia's newspapers.

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