Meet "Robel the Whale" From Ethiopia at the Rio Olympics, How did he quqlify? Well he is the son of Ethiopian swimming federation president

A portly swimmer cruelly dubbed ‘Robel the Whale’ has become an internet sensation after finishing half a lap behind his Olympic rivals in the 100m freestyle.

Robel Kiros Habte, from Ethiopia, was ranked 59th out of 59 competitors after taking part in the Preliminary Men's 100m Freestyle heats at Rio’s Olympic Aquatics Stadium.

His performance, which saw him finish half a lap behind the others, drew comparisons with Eric the Eeel, a Sydney Olympics swimmer who took double the time of his rivals to finish the 100m freestyle but still set a personal best.

Despite the tubby athlete’s struggles, he got a huge cheer from the Brazilian crowds when he finally finished the race with a time of 1 minute 4.95 seconds.

SOURCE: Evening Standard