The 18-year-old Olympic debutant upset a strong field to win his first Olympic title and Africa's first gold of this Games. "I saw the Australian guy in the second 200m, I feel (felt) great in the water, it was a great fight in the end." Ahmed Hafnaoui is Tunisia's second swimming gold medallist Analysis: Celestine Karoney, BBC Africa Sport in TokyoĤ00m freestyle Olympic champion Ahmed Hafnaoui cut an emotional figure as the Tunisian national anthem rang out at the Tokyo Aquatic centre in Japan. "When I hit the water, I just thinking about winning the medal not the time, and to go faster than yesterday," I am so proud of it," Hafnaoui said afterwards. "I was (had) in tears in my eyes - when I saw the flag of my country and I heard the anthem in the background it was great. The title is Tunisia's fifth Olympic gold medal. And his role in the Games is not over, as he will also compete in the 800m freestyle on Tuesday. Hafnaoui is now only the second Tunisian to win gold in a swimming event in the Olympics, after double champion Oussamma Mellouli - who will be swimming the 10km marathon later in the competition. "I believed it when I touched the wall and I saw myself first. "I was surprised I was a finalist and now I am surprised to get gold," Hafnaoui said. His winning time of three minutes 43.36 was three seconds faster than his personal best. Hafnaoui arrived at the Olympics with a time that was 15th best of the field and only qualified for the final in eighth place, putting him in the less favoured outer lane eight.īut he swam hard from the start and produced a brilliant final 50 metres to tap the wall in first.
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