Al-Jawadi: A young Tunisian man ascends the world swimming throne from the beaches of La Marsa

A young Tunisian man ascends the world swimming throne

Al-Jawadi: A young Tunisian man ascends the world swimming throne from the beaches of La Marsa

The beginning of the birth of a champion from the coastal city of La Marsa, about 18 km from the capital, Tunis, was the beginning of his career. He was expected to succeed the son of the coastal city and Tunisian swimming legend, Oussama Mellouli.

And so it was. After winning the gold medal in the 800m freestyle at the World Aquatics Championships, which concluded Sunday in Singapore, Ahmed Al-Jawadi added a second gold medal to his illustrious record by winning the 1500m freestyle on the final day of the World Championships.

The 20-year-old not only won the gold medal, but also set the third-best time in history in the 800m freestyle, with a time of 7:36.88 minutes, behind China's Zhang Lin, who holds the record of 7:32.12, and Mellouli himself, who held the second-best time of 7:35.37 minutes.

He also recorded the tenth-best time in history in the 1,500m freestyle, clocking 14:34.41, alongside his fellow countryman, Ayoub Hafnaoui, in third place. Al-Jawadi was born in La Marsa on May 30, 2005. He began swimming at the age of four. He joined the multi-sport club, El Mostakbal Sportif de La Marsa, with the goal of going far in his career.

In an interview about two years ago, Al-Jawadi said, "I started swimming in the municipal pool in La Marsa. I have been taught by many coaches who have influenced me. I dream of qualifying for the Olympic Games. I dream of competing in a final race, then winning a medal, and later winning an Olympic and World Championship gold medal."

Achieving one of his goals of winning the World Championship gold medal was certainly not a coincidence. Rather, it was the result of hours of training, hard work, determination, and perseverance, in addition to commitment and following the advice and instructions of his famous French coach, Philippe Lucas, who supervised him after he moved to France to complete his studies and join the Martigues team. After winning the 1500m freestyle, he commented: "A lot of pain, a lot of suffering. I knew everyone was suffering and everyone was feeling pain."

He continued: "I wasn't the only one. I just tried to be mentally stronger. It was a good race because all the swimmers performed brilliantly and tried to win. I felt a lot of pain in my body, it was painful. But in my head, I want this medal. I want to win it. It's that simple."

Jawadi dedicated the 800m freestyle victory to Hafnaoui, saying: "This time it's for Hafnaoui - he's going through a tough time right now." It's known that Hafnaoui, an Olympic champion at the 2021 Tokyo Summer Olympics and a world champion at the 2023 Fukuoka Olympics, was suspended for 21 months from April 2024 to January 2026 for failing three times to disclose his whereabouts in out-of-competition doping tests.

However, this may seem understandable given the relationship between Tunisian swimmers, as Jouadi previously expressed: "He (Hafnaoui) communicates with me before and after every championship. He encourages me, supports me, gives me advice, and is happy with my achievements. He tells me that I'm not alone and that he's by my side."

What's striking about his career is that he accumulates achievements gradually and doesn't rush to reach the summit before the ideal time. He is patient and takes the appropriate steps at the right time, hoping to achieve his great goal of winning an Olympic gold medal.

He began his achievements with two gold medals in the 400m freestyle and 1500m freestyle, a silver medal in the 800m freestyle, and a bronze medal in the 200m freestyle at the 2022 African Championships in Tunisia. He then won a gold medal in the 1500m freestyle and a bronze medal in the 800m freestyle at the 2024 World Small Pool Championships in Budapest, leading up to the two gold medals at the last World Championships.

Even his approach to swimming seems rational: The big dream is to never stop swimming and to give it my all, given my potential. The most important thing is not to regret not giving it my all. Perhaps my limit is competing in an Olympic final, or perhaps winning an Olympic medal. I prefer to give it 100% every day, and we'll see where I can go. Currently, after placing fourth in the 800m freestyle and sixth in the 1500m freestyle at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the World Championships win represents a step forward in Al-Jawadi's career and a positive sign for nearly three years before the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

If he succeeds in accumulating additional achievements in the near future, leading to Olympic gold, Al-Jawadi will be the rightful heir to the legendary Mellouli, who won the 1500m and 10km freestyle gold medals at the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympics, respectively, and the 1500m and 5km freestyle gold medals at the 2009 Rome World Championships and the 5km freestyle gold medal at the 2013 Barcelona World Championships.

It certainly won't be easy, but the world champion seems determined to follow in the footsteps of the great champion. "Oussama Mellouli is a son of La Marsa and the La Marsa swimming pool. He is a role model for us, for the club, and for everyone. He grew up in the La Marsa swimming pool." "It's a great honor to have people say I'm like him."