Eric the Eel sparked presenter's Olympic dream

2 years ago 132

Today sports presenter Alex Cullen was bitten by the Olympics bug erstwhile helium was a teenager, recalling to Wide World of Sports his wide-eyed amazement arsenic helium sat successful the assemblage that roared for Eric 'the Eel' Moussambani astatine Sydney 2000.

Later, arsenic a journalist, helium asked Cathy Freeman to prime isolated her celebrated 400m triumph, that astir glorious of location Olympics moments, 10 years connected from her iconic golden medal run.

So it's nary wonderment that Cullen can't fell his excitement aft moving into Today's expanded sports presenter role, conscionable 18 months retired from the Paris Olympics, to beryllium broadcast by Nine.

"It's ever been a imagination of excavation to screen the Olympic Games," Cullen said.

"It's the eventual sporting lawsuit and Paris volition beryllium what the satellite needs aft a hard fewer years. The satellite volition beryllium acceptable to enactment and observe our champion athletes crossed a fewer weeks, unrecorded and escaped connected Channel Nine."

The Olympics is the jewel successful the crown for Nine's progressively engaged sports sum implicit the adjacent decade, adding to a line-up that already includes the Australian Open, NRL, Super Rugby, the upcoming 2023 Rugby World Cup, the Ashes successful England successful June and July this year, arsenic good a men's ODI World Cup successful October and November.

Nine's manager of greeting television, Steve Burling said: "The value of athletics crossed Nine has led to america shifting absorption connected our line-up for Today, with Brooke Boney present taking connected quality and amusement and Alex Cullen wholly focused connected sport.

"Alex has a passionateness for each things sport, truthful it is simply a comfy fit."

Cullen is simply a Parramatta Eels tragic, having watched the magical squad of 1986 triumph a premiership with Peter Sterling pulling the strings. He was 5 astatine the clip and has had to ticker them beaten connected expansive last time 3 times since, successful 2001, 2009 and again past season, erstwhile they fell to the all-conquering Penrith Panthers.

"I deliberation they tin spell 1 amended this season," Cullen said.

"It's precise hard for an Eels fan, having watched the crippled successful 1986 and past not being capable to replicate that feeling, it's precise very hard.

"I'm hoping this twelvemonth we tin get there, we tin bash it. Mitch Moses re-signing is good, that's a large commencement and I'm conscionable looking guardant to dedicating much of my clip and much of my absorption connected Channel Nine's immense array of sport.

"Nine's ne'er had much athletics and I can't hold to archer each those large stories to our sports-loving audience."

For Cullen, there's nary amended lawsuit than the Olympics for sports stories that interaction each Australians and helium captures that sentiment successful his recollection of the infinitesimal Moussambani became a cult leader earlier our eyes successful Sydney.

"I was successful the assemblage for Eric the Eel swimming his 100m freestyle heat," Cullen said.

"We had the inexpensive seats, I was lone 19, 20 astatine the time, with my 3 siblings and my parents and we had nary thought what was happening.

"Two blokes got disqualified and Eric jumps successful and the assemblage conscionable went soundless due to the fact that determination was utter confusion, nary 1 knew what was going on. And past each of a abrupt helium starts swimming and everyone looked astatine each different and went, 'We've got to get down this bloke,' truthful the assemblage conscionable erupted.

"Everyone's cheering him on, helium gets to the different extremity and helium does his tumble turn, oregon his rendition of a tumble turn, and he's swimming back, he's got his goggles astir his neck, he's swimming arsenic hard arsenic helium tin to decorativeness that contention and the assemblage perfectly went disconnected and brought Eric the Eel home.

"That is my favourite Olympic infinitesimal and I can't hold to play my relation successful bringing moments similar that into the lounge rooms of each Australians."

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