On Friday, there were exactly six months to go until the Beijing Olympics.

I know this because our champion swimmer Libby Lenton told me so when I was chatting to her that day.

Not because I painstakingly cross off every day to the world’s biggest sporting event on my calendar and am in serious need of a hobby.

With that in mind I figured now would be an ideal time to sit back and reflect on a few memorable moments from the last couple of Olympics.

And not stuff like Cathy Freeman’s win or the Oarsome Foursome either. This is a list of the quirky, heartbreaking and amusing Olympic incidents that have made us laugh, cry, jeer and applaud.

Eric the Eel: Equatorial Guinea swimmer Eric Moussambani swam the 100m freestyle so slowly at the Sydney Games, we were able to flick to the coverage every so often and check on his progress like you would with the Test cricket.

Rumour has it his, wife was three months pregnant when he first jumped in the pool and when he finished his son had finished college.

Lay down Sally: A large Sunday metro paper yesterday came out and criticised two Australian rowers for refusing to row with Sally Robbins, the slacker who at Athens stopped rowing about 500m from the finish with Australia well placed for a bronze in the women’s eights.

If you were one of these said rowers, would you put your chance at Olympic glory in jeopardy by racing with someone who has proven she doesn’t have any ticker? Probably not.

Jane Saville’s disqualification: Sydneysider Saville was winning the women’s 20km walk comfortably at the 2000 Games and was just about to enter the stadium and soak up the cheering of her home crowd when a race judge issued her a third warning card, resulting in her disqualification.

In walking, competitors must maintain contact with the ground with at least one foot at all times.

Three breaches and they’re out.

If they had ran a ‘most hated man in Australia’ poll that day, that race judge would have won by more than what Makybe Diva would if she entered the Kilcoy Cup.

Happily, Saville bounced back by winning bronze in Athens.

Marathon moron: Brazilian Vanderlei de Lima was leading the men’s marathon at Athens heading into the final stage.

Until an Irish idiot by the name of Cornelius Horan pushed him into the crowd.

De Lima ended up finishing with bronze.

Officials decided that Horan’s ridiculous first name was punishment enough and let him off with a warning.

Fatso the Fat-Arsed Wombat: Roy and HG’s unofficial mascot of the Sydney Olympics was so popular he was seen on the medal dais with the likes of Susie O’Neil and Grant Hackett.

‘The Battler’s Prince’ was later auctioned off for over $80,000.

That Big Fat Greek Farce: Greek sprinters Costas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou will defend perjury charges in June after they allegedly staged a motorcycle accident to avoid a doping test just before the Athens Games. Kenteris, Thanou and their entourage are staring at up to two years in prison.

Better get used to having your steroids delivered in a cake to your jail cell from now on guys.

That bike accident was about as real as Pamela Anderson’s breasts.

What are you favourite quirky Olympic moments? Leave a comment and let us know!