Tunisia’s Ahmed Hafnaoui claimed gold in the men’s swimming 400m freestyle in an event-winning time of 3min 43.36sec to end the dominance of Australia, New Zealand and Asian nations in the event.
Hafnaoui, 18, is the first swimmer outside Asia or Oceania to win a gold medal in the event at the Olympic Games since Barcelona 1992.
His medal was the first of four swimming medals at the 2020 Olympic Games, which were awarded on Sunday.
Hafnaoui, Tunisia’s second Olympic swimming finalist ever, stepped on the podium in his shorts.
“I just can’t accept that —— it is too incredible. Oussama is a legend. I wish I could become like him,” he said, hailing his compatriot three-time Olympic medallist Oussama Mellouli.
His is the second medal won by Tunisia at this Olympic Games after a silver on Saturday. The medals are also the first two by any African country at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Meanwhile, American swimming great, Michael Phelps, has described Hafnaoui’s performance “unbelievable”, noting that the Tunisian’s shock victory was a great example of how swimming at the Tokyo Games is likely to have a series of wide open races.
Speaking with reporters in Tokyo, Phelp said, “Unbelievable swim, I think he knocked almost five seconds off his PB (personal best).
“The difference between these Olympics and the past, in my opinion, is that every single person in the final has a chance of winning gold – it doesn’t matter if you are in lane one, eight or four, everyone is close.
“Look at the 400 IM (individual medley) – less than a second between first and eighth just to make the final. I just feel like the globe is starting to step up and swim faster and for me it’s fun to watch. Its amazing to be able to see kids stand up and accomplish their goals.”