# Hatem Ghoula

Hatem Ghoula (Arabic: حاتم غولة; born 7 June 1973) is a Tunisian race walker. He won four consecutive African Championships in the 20 kilometres walk from 1996 to 2002. His foremost medal was a 20 km walk bronze at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics. He is also a two-time gold medallist at the All-African Games, having won in 2003 and 2007 (the latter in a Games record time).
Ghoula was born in Paris, France. He has represented Tunisia at four Olympic Games (1996 to 2008), with his best performance of eleventh place coming in 2004. He competed at the IAAF World Championships in Athletics for eight straight editions from 1993 to 2007 and made his ninth appearance at the 2013 World Championships in Athletics. At the IAAF World Race Walking Cup he has participated on five occasions and came close to a medal in 2006, finishing in fourth place.
He is a two-time gold medallist at the African Race Walking Championships and the Jeux de la Francophonie, and was the champion at the 2004 Arab Games and 2001 Mediterranean Games.
He holds the African records in racewalking for the distance of 20,000 metres on the track and 20 km walk on the road.

## International competitions

| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
| Representing Tunisia ||||||
| 1992 | Arab Junior Championships | Latakia, Syria | 2nd | 10,000 m | 49:47 |
| 1993 | World Championships | Stuttgart, Germany | 32nd | 20 km | 1:33:24 |
| 1994 | Jeux de la Francophonie | Bondoufle, France | 4th | 20 km | 1:28:57 |
| 1995 | Arab Championships | Cairo, Egypt | 1st | 20 km | 1:37:50 |
| 1995 | World Championships | Gothenburg, Sweden | 30th | 20 km | 1:32:17 |
| 1996 | African Championships | Yaoundé, Cameroon | 1st | 20 km | 1:29:48 |
| 1996 | Olympic Games | Atlanta, United States | 33rd | 20 km | 1:25:52 |
| 1997 | Mediterranean Games | Bari, Italy | 3rd | 20 km | 1:25:36 |
| 1997 | World Championships | Athens, Greece | 9th | 20 km | 1:23:49 |
| 1997 | Jeux de la Francophonie | Antananarivo, Madagascar | 1st | 20 km | 1:26:39 |
| 1998 | African Championships | Dakar, Senegal | 1st | 20 km | 1:31:28 |
| 1999 | World Race Walking Cup | Mézidon-Canon, France | 15th | 20 km | 1:23:46 |
| 1999 | Pan Arab Games | Irbid, Jordan | 1st | 20 km | 1:40:01 |
| 1999 | World Championships | Seville, Spain | 16th | 20 km | 1:28:36 |
| 1999 | All-Africa Games | Johannesburg, South Africa | – | 20 km | DQ |
| 2000 | African Championships | Algiers, Algeria | 1st | 20 km | 1:25:38 |
| 2000 | Olympic Games | Sydney, Australia | 36th | 20 km | 1:28:16 |
| 2001 | Jeux de la Francophonie | Ottawa, Canada | 1st | 20 km | 1:22:56 |
| 2001 | World Championships | Edmonton, Canada | 10th | 20 km | 1:23:14 |
| 2001 | Mediterranean Games | Radès, Tunisia | 1st | 20 km | 1:26:43 |
| 2002 | World Race Walking Cup | Turin, Italy | 9th | 20 km | 1:23:49 |
| 2002 | African Championships | Radès, Tunisia | 1st | 20 km | 1:26:42 |
| 2003 | World Championships | Paris, France | 14th | 20 km | 1:21:12 |
| 2003 | All-Africa Games | Abuja, Nigeria | 1st | 20 km | 1:30:32 |
| 2004 | World Race Walking Cup | A Coruña, Spain | 41st | 20 km | 1:24:56 |
| 2004 | Olympic Games | Athens, Greece | 11th | 20 km | 1:22:59 |
| 2004 | Pan Arab Games | Algiers, Algeria | 1st | 20,000 m | 1:28:34.19 |
| 2005 | Mediterranean Games | Almería, Spain | – | 20 km | DQ |
| 2005 | World Championships | Helsinki, Finland | 5th | 20 km | 1:20:19 |
| 2006 | World Race Walking Cup | A Coruña, Spain | 4th | 20 km | 1:19:36 |
| 2006 | African Championships | Bambous, Mauritius | 2nd | 20 km | 1:25:02 |
| 2007 | All-Africa Games | Algiers, Algeria | 1st | 20 km | 1:22:33 |
| 2007 | World Championships | Osaka, Japan | 3rd | 20 km | 1:22:40 |
| 2008 | World Race Walking Cup | Cheboksary, Russia | 11th | 20 km | 1:19:54 |
| 2008 | Olympic Games | Beijing, China | 27th | 20 km | 1:23:44 |
| 2013 | World Championships | Moscow, Russia | 27th | 20 km | 1:25:41 |
| 2016 | African Championships | Durban, South Africa | 6th | 20 km | 1:25:54 |