Tunisian swimmer Ahmed Jaouadi, 19, marked a remarkable return to the international scene by winning the silver medal at the 800 meter freestyle during the Barcelona stage of the Mare Nostrum circuit, with a time of 7: 46.37. He finished just one second from the winner, the Irishman Daniel Wiffen, thus confirming his rise in the background.
Despite his young age, Jaouadi has already distinguished himself several times on the international scene. During the world championships in small pool in Budapest in December 2024, he won the gold medal over 1500 m freestyle with a time of 14: 16.40, becoming the youngest Tunisian world champion in history.
He also won the bronze on 800 m freestyle with a time of 7: 31.93, establishing a new African record.
At the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Jaouadi finished 4th in the final of the 800m freestyle, just missing the podium in a very raised race. He also participated in the final of the 1500 m freestyle, where he finished 7th with a time of 14: 43.35, consolidating his position among the best substantive swimmers worldwide.
Since his promising beginnings in 2021, where he won several medals at the Arab championships in a small basin in Abu Dabi, Jaouadi has continued to progress. In 2022, he shone at the African championships in Tunis, winning gold over 400 m and 1500 m freestyle, silver over 800 m free and 4 × 200 m freestyle, as well as bronze over 200 m free freestyle.
In 2023, he continued on his momentum by winning podiums at the French junior championships, confirming his status of great hope of Tunisian swimming.
To crown his exceptional year, Ahmed Jaouadi was named “African swimmer of the year 2024” by Swimming World Magazine, a distinction which underlines his dazzling ascent and his impact on African swimming.
With his silver medal at the Nostrum pond in Barcelona, Jaouadi shows that he is in great shape and ready to take up new challenges. He is expected on the 400 m freestyle, an event where he has already shone in the past.
