Ons Jabeur celebrates Ahmed Hafnaoui after swimmer wins Tunisia's first gold medal at World Aquatics Championships 2023
Tunisian tennis star Ons Jabeur congratulated fellow countryman and swimmer Ahmed Hafnaoui after his heroics at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships
Ahmed Hafnaoui won the gold medal in the men’s 800m freestyle at the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, on July 26, Wednesday. The 20-year-old took the lead in the race in the final stretches and touched the wall in 7 minutes and 37 seconds.
He bettered Samuel Short of Australia and Bobby Finke of the USA to become only the second man from his country to be crowned World Aquatic champion. Previously, Oussama Mellouli won gold in the 1,500m freestyle back in 2009.
Ons Jabeur celebrated Hafnaoui's achievement on social media, expressing her pride over her compatriot's success. Incidentally, Hafnaoui was Tunisia's sole gold medal winner at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He stunned the swimming world by clinching the gold medal in the men's 400m in Tokyo at just 18 years old.
"Bravo champ," Jabeur wrote on Instagram.
Ahmed Hafnaoui spoke about his nerves and the adrenaline rush during that race, highlighting intense competitors who have been world champions. He mentioned the importance of acceleration in the last few meters to grab the top spot.
"It's too much adrenaline when you see all these guys next to you just battling for the gold, especially the 400 world champion Sam Short, when you know he's pretty fast in the last 100 so you just wait to the last 50 and try to win," Hafnaoui said in a post-race press conference.
Hafnaoui, Tunisia's only media winner at this year's Aquatics Championships, also won the silver medal in the 400m freestyle. Sam Smith claimed the gold medal by just 0.02 seconds. Smith finished at 3:40:68, ahead of Hafnaoui's 3:40:70.
Ons Jabeur reached her third Grand Slam final at Wimbledon 2023
Ons Jabeur has become not only Tunisia's representative in the tennis world but also Africa's. The World No. 6 is the top-ranked player from Africa in men's and women's tennis and recently reached her third Grand Slam final at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships. Jabeur was bettered by Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic in the final.
The former World No. 2 previously reached the final of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, becoming the first woman from Africa and the Arab world to reach a singles Grand Slam final. She backed up that performance with a final appearance at the 2022 US Open.
She has often spoken about her responsibility to inspire the next generation of tennis players from Africa and the Middle East. The 28-year-old is known for her sportsmanship and is among the most liked and globally admired personalities on the ATP and WTA Tours.