Ahmed Hafnaoui Wins Olympic Gold for Tunisia
By Alyssa Kristeller
On July 25, 2021, in one of the most exciting races of the Tokyo Olympics, 18-year-old Tunisian swimmer Ahmed Hafnaoui secured a gold medal for his country. [1] Hafnaoui won Tunisia’s fifth-ever Olympic gold medal in the 400-meter freestyle swimming final with a time of 3:43.36, beating Australia’s Jack McLoughlin by 0.16 seconds. [2]
The day before, Hafnaoui placed fourth in his heat, managing to barely qualify for the final in his event. He went into the final with the slowest qualifying time of the eight swimmers. [3] The last time a Tunisian swimmer won an Olympic gold medal was 2012 at the London Games, earned by Oussama Mellouli.
Hafnaoui was born in Tunisia in 2002 and joined the country’s national swimming program in 2012. One might say that his athleticism comes naturally, as his father was a basketball player for the Tunisian national team. Hafnaoui competed in the Youth Olympic Games in 2018 in Argentina and placed 8th in the 400-meter freestyle event - the same event in which he won the gold three years later in Tokyo.
Almost as newsworthy as his win was the video which went viral on social media of Hafnaoui’s friends and family cheering him on from afar. The heartwarming video features the joyful and excited screams of his relatives and captures the happy moment when Hafnaoui and his coaches realize his achievement.
Link to video: https://twitter.com/90PlusKora/status/1419192145622228992
Sources
Photo: Swimming World Magazine