Ahmed Hafnaoui
Ahmed Ayoub Hafnaoui (; born 4 December 2002) is a Tunisian swimmer. He is the African record holder in the short course 800-metre freestyle and 1500-metre freestyle. He competed in the 2020 Summer Olympics, where he won a gold medal in the men's 400-metre freestyle. He ranked No. 16 in the world and was the slowest qualifier for the final race but won Olympic gold with a time of 3:43.36. Hafnaoui was the only Tunisian to win Olympic gold at Tokyo 2020. He finished 8th in the final of the 400 m freestyle at the  2018 Summer Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires. Hafnaoui competed as a 16-year old at the 2018 World Championships (SC) in the 400 meters and the 1500 meters, but failed to make the final in either event. As of 2021, he was ranked No. 3 in the 400 meter freestyle. Career. Early life. Hafnoui's father, Mohamed Hafnaoui, was a Tunisian national basketball player. When Hafnaoui was 12, he joined the national swimming program of Tunisia. 2018. At the African Championships in Algiers, Algeria, Hafnaoui competed in the 800 meter and 1,500 meter freestyle events, as well as the 4x100  and 4x200 freestyle events. He placed third in the 800 meter freestyle (8:08.74), 1,500 meter freestyle (15:45.46), and 4x100 meter men's freestyle (3:27.92), as well as second in the 4x200 freestyle (7:31.55). At the Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Hafnaoui competed in the 200 meter, 400 meter, and 800 meter freestyle events; he placed eighth in the 400 meter freestyle with a time of 3:55.94 and seventh in the 800 meter freestyle with a time of 8:04.43. At the World Championships Short Course in Hangzhou, China, Hafnaoui competed in the 400 meter and 1500 meter freestyle events; he  placed 19th in the 400 meter freestyle with a time of 3:45.98 and 17th in the 1500 meter freestyle with a time of 15:02.25. 2019. Hafnaoui competed in the 400 meter, 800 meter, and 1,500 meter freestyle events at the World Junior Championships in Budapest, Hungary; he placed fourth in the 800 meter freestyle with a time of 7:49.09 and sixth in the 1,500 meter freestyle with a time of 15:16.04. 2021. Hafnaoui competed in the 400 meter freestyle at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan where he placed first with a time of 3:43.36. He is only the  third swimmer in history to win an Olympic gold medal out of the 8th lane, the slowest qualifying lane. He also placed joint 10th in the 800 meter freestyle, missing qualification for the final. In October, Hafnauoi announced he would be competing at Etihad Arena in December as part of the 2021 World Short Course Swimming Championships in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. He entered to compete in the 400 metre freestyle and 1500 metre freestyle events. Starting his competition on day one of the championships, 16 December, Hafnaoui swum a 3:40.30 in the prelims heats of the 400 metre  freestyle to rank tenth overall. Day five, Hafnaoui ranked second in the 1500 metre freestyle prelims heats, qualifying for the final with a time of 14:25.77. He won the silver medal in the final of the 1500 metre freestyle on day six in an African record time of 14:10.94. His time at the 800 metre mark also set a new African record in the 800 metre freestyle at 7:33.69.