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Oussama Mellouli has competed for Tunisia Oussama Mellouli has won 2 gold medals at the Olympic Games Oussama Mellouli has won 1 bronze medal at the Olympic Games

Oussama Mellouli is a swimmer who has competed for Tunisia. He competed at the 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020 Summer Olympic Games.

Mellouli started his Olympic career in Sydney 2000, but he failed to advance from the heats with a forty-third place time in the 400 metres individual medley.

Four years later in Athens, he rose from an outsider to become a medal contender in the long-distance freestyle and medley races. He landed on the fifth spot in his pet race with an African record (4:14.49), trailing the winner Michael Phelps by more than five seconds. He almost reached the top eight final in the 200 metres individual medley by 0.02 of a second.

Beijing 2008 marked the peak of Mellouli's swimming career, as he shifted his focus to the long-distance freestyle (400 and 1500). In the 400 metres freestyle, he blasted a new African record (3:43.45) to take the fifth spot at the final round, missing the podium by almost two seconds. The 1500 metres freestyle race turned to be crucial for Mellouli. Swimming in lane seven, he stayed with the leaders through the two-thirds of a race, until he moved into the lead at the 1100-metre mark ahead of the two-time defending champion Grant Hackett. He fought off against Hackett at the closing stages of the race to touch the wall first in an African record of 14:40.84, denying the latter's streak for a third straight victory. Mellouli became the first Tunisian athlete after 48 years to win an Olympic gold medal and the first African man to attain such feat in an individual swimming event.

Mellouli returned to his fourth straight Games at London 2012 as the defending champion of the 1500 metres freestyle, but he lost the race to the world record holder Sun Yang, leaving him with a bronze. Apart from the pool races, he also added an open water marathon to his swimming program. There, he quickly opened a three-body-length lead over a vast field of swimmers and maintained his pace to claim his second gold in 1:49:55.1. Mellouli set another historic mark as the first swimmer to ever win Olympic gold medals at both pool and open water events.

Mellouli was the first athlete to represent Tunisia at more than four editions of the Games when he made his fifth Olympic appearance in 2016. He was also selected to carry the Tunisian flag during the opening ceremony. After missing the top eight final in the 1500 metres freestyle, he returned for his title defense in the open water marathon, but he soon dropped off the podium to twelfth with a time of 1:53:06.1. Mellouli closed out his Olympic career with a top twenty finish in the same race at his sixth and final Games in 2020.

Olympic Results[]

Year Event Rank
2000 Men's 400m individual medley 43rd
2004 Men's 1500m freestyle 14th
Men's 200m individual medley 9th
Men's 400m individual medley 5th
2008 Men's 200m freestyle 19th
Men's 400m freestyle 5th
Men's 1500m freestyle Gold
2012 Men's 1500m freestyle Bronze
Men's 10km open water Gold
2016 Men's 1500m freestyle 21st
Men's 10km open water 12th
2020 Men's 10km open water 20th

2000[]

Discipline Round Time
400 metres individual medley Heats 4:41.97 NR
Final Did not advance

2004[]

Discipline Round Time
1500 metres freestyle Heats 15:18.98 NR
Final Did not advance
200 metres individual medley Heats 2:01.94 AR
Semifinal 2:01.11 AR
Final Did not advance
400 metres individual medley Heats 4:16.68
Final 4:14.49 AR

2008[]

Discipline Round Time
200 metres freestyle Heats 1:47.97 NR
Semifinal Did not advance
Final
400 metres freestyle Heats 3:44.54 NR
Final 3:43.45 AR
1500 metres freestyle Heats 14:47.76 AR
Final 14:40.84 AR

2012[]

Discipline Round Time
1500 metres freestyle Heats 14:46.23
Final 14:40.31
10 kilometres open water Final 1:49:55.1

2016[]

Discipline Round Time
1500 metres freestyle Heats 15:07.78
Final Did not advance
10 kilometres open water Final 1:53:06.1

2020[]

Discipline Round Time
10 kilometres open water Final 1:56:33.3
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