Minnow Samuel takes to water

Anlloyd Samuel - first outing in a full-sized pool

Palau's 50m freestyle swimmer Anlloyd Samuel may be the 'Eddie the Eagle' of Sydney 2000, but he is the embodiment of the Olympic spirit. BBC Sport's Jonathon Moore reports.

Anlloyd Samuel, from the tiny Pacific island of Palau, is one of Sydney's Olympic dreamers.

Before arriving in Australia, he had never tasted McDonalds, let alone train in a 50m pool - the length of his chosen event at the 2000 Games.

The children at Carss Park swimming centre, his Olympic training base, call him Andrew Lloyd Webber, because they cannot remember his name.

  How Samuels compares

Palau record: Anlloyd Samuel, 27.23
World record: Alexander Popov, 21.64
US record: Gary Hall jnr, 21.76
Commonwealth record: Roland Schoeman, 22.04
Olympic record: Alexander Popov, 21.91

But according to his Australian coach, Dick Caine, when he arrived he was the talk of the town.

"By Australian standards this pool here is an old dump," Caine said.

"But Anlloyd thought this was the Australian Institute of Sport, which was funny because we're always whinging that we haven't got enough equipment.

Bismark Brett, Palau's head swimming coach

"When he turned up we had 50 or so people doing a session and to have someone say they've never swum in a 50m pool - the whole place just went still.

"Here's someone coming to the Olympic Games and he's never swum in a 50m pool - it was the talking point for a week here."

To describe Samuel as the worst competitor at the Games would be cruel. He may beat someone - but it certainly won't be Alexander Popov, whose world record for the 50m freestyle is 21.64 seconds. Samuel swims the distance in just over 27secs.

"When he turned up he looked like an Eskimo," Caine said. "He had about a dozen overcoats on and when he took his clothes off he went purple. I though he was going to die."

I put him in a lane which wasn't one of the top lanes and after about 10 minutes Anlloyd was on the bottom of the pool

  Dick Caine, Samuel's swimming coach

According to Caine, Samuel could barely do back-to-back laps when he first started training.

"I put him in a lane which wasn't one of the top lanes and after about 10 minutes Anlloyd was on the bottom of the pool. I though I was going to have to dive in and rescue him.

"Here was this guy representing his country who couldn't keep up with the kids. We couldn't believe it."

In Australia, Samuel would struggle to qualify for a State team. Back in Palau, however, he is his country's Ian Thorpe.

He won 10 gold medals in July at his national championships. Since then he is recognised in the street and regarded as a hero.

"The people of Palau told him he will always be their champion at his leaving ceremony," said Bismark Brett, Palau's head swimming coach.

"They told him to do his best, but they don't expect him to beat Popov."

I'd have more of a chance of getting a start in the Australian ballet than he would of getting a start in the Australian national team

  Dick Caine on Anlloyd Samuel

Caine and Bismark may not believe Samuel has any chance of success at the Games, but they firmly believe he is the embodiment of the Olympic spirit.

"I'd have more of a chance of getting a start in the Australian ballet than he would of getting a start in the Australian national team," Caine said.

"But I can tell you something, Anlloyd has won a lot of medals with the people down here. Everyone wants to help him.

"He is what sport is all about - the person trying to compete in a sport for the sheer love of it. If they were picking an Australian team on spirit, he'd been the captain..

"He has reinvigorated me and the people around him. He's a star."

As for Samuel himself, when asked what he wanted to take away from the Games his answer was immediate. "I want to get better and I want to compete in Athens in 2004," he said. "Apart from that I wouldn't mind a didgeridoo."