At just 18 years old, Tunisia Ahmed Hafnaoui has made history at the Tokyo Olympics.
He became the first African athlete to do so at the Tokyo Olympics by winning the gold medal in the 400-meter freestyle swimming.
Interestingly, the 18-year-old had proven to be the slowest swimmer in the qualifying round, but he won the gold medal in the final round of the Tokyo Olympics with the most jaw-dropping performance ever.
He beat Australian Jack McLaughlin (silver medalist) and American Cairn Smith (bronze medalist).
Ahmed arrived at the Tokyo Olympics with the best time of 15th in the 400m freestyle. He was the slowest swimmer to enter the final round, that is, eighth in the qualifying round. Because of this, he got a place in the outside lane, from where it is difficult for a swimmer to win.
But in the final round swim, he had left qualifying round performance far behind. He got the gold medal with a time of 3 minutes 43.36 seconds. During this, he improved his personal best so far by three seconds.
WHAT A FINISH.
— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) July 25, 2021
From lane 8, Tunisia's Ahmed Hafnaoui wins Olympic gold and @TeamUSA's Kieran Smith gets the bronze. #TokyoOlympics
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The swimmer was surprised with his performance
Ahmed said after receiving the medal: "At first I was amazed when I reached the final and now I am surprised to win the gold medal. When I touched the wall, I saw myself for the first time. I was in awe. That was unexpected."
Ahmed was so surprised by his victory that he even forgot to put on his full team jersey to take the medal and took the medal only in jersey and shorts.
By the way, Ahmed Hafnoi is the second athlete from Tunisia to win a gold medal in swimming at the Olympics. Before him, this charisma has been done by the two-time champion Aus Meluli, who will participate in the 10 km swimming marathon in Tokyo.
This is Tunisia's fifth gold medal in Olympic history. By the way, the Tokyo Olympics journey is not over yet for Ahmed. On Tuesday he will compete in the 800m freestyle.
After winning the first gold medal, Ahmed said: "When I saw the flag of my country, my eyes filled with tears, the national anthem of the country sounded behind, I was very proud."
Regarding his performance, he said: "When I jumped into the water, I was just thinking about winning a medal. I wanted to swim faster than my performance yesterday. I saw the Australian swimmer in the last 200 meters, but he was swimming well, and in the end, it was a great fight. "
Eye on the 2024 Olympics
Hafnoi's father, Mohamed Hafnoi, was part of the Tunisian national basketball team. Ahmed participated in the 2018 Youth Olympics. He finished eighth in the 400 meters and seventh in the 800 meters.
In an interview with a Tunisian newspaper in 2019, he said that he is focusing on getting his first gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
But with a magical performance in less than four minutes, he achieved the success that he wanted to achieve in 2024 only in 2021.
He started swimming at the age of six when his father registered him with the swim club. After 12 years, he won the fifth Olympic Games gold medal for his country.
He dedicated this medal to his family and to the legacy of Tunisia's first gold medalist, Aus Meluli.
Meluli is participating in the Olympics for the last time in Tokyo, with three Olympic medals in his kitty and Tunisia seems to have found Ahmed to carry on his legacy.
Ahmed said: "I have a wonderful relationship with Meluli, he said good luck to me, I would say good luck to his 10km race. He is a legend and I want to be like him one day."
By winning the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, Ahmed has certainly taken a step in that direction.
Analysis of Celestine Karone from Africa Sports in Tokyo
Olympic champion Ahmed Hafnoi, 400m freestyle, was thrilled when the Tunisian national anthem began to play at the Tokyo Aquatic Center. Ahmed, 18, had come to participate in the Olympics for the first time and left behind some strong contenders.
Not only did he win his first Olympic medal, but he also became the first African athlete to win a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Due to Kovid, he was not seen by the swimming audience, but his brilliant performance was discussed at the sports village.
On Tuesday, he will have a chance to get another medal on his kitty when he participates in the 800-meter freestyle event. Although he is in eighth place, his success in the 400m freestyle has made her a candidate for the medal.
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