Tunisia Wraps Up Successful Olympic Performance

Yesterday evening the 2012 Olympic Games in London finally drew to a close, marking the end of over two weeks of international athletic competition. As one of the 205 countries competing in London, Tunisia sent a total of 84 athletes in 17 disciplines to compete in the country’s first quest for Olympic glory since the Jasmine Revolution last year.

Tunisia’s first post-revolutionary Olympics was a storied one indeed. Even before the first event had taken place, Tunisia’s Olympic athletes were already making history as the largest athletic contingent from the nation to compete in the Olympics, including team sports, like basketball, a first for the North African country.

It wasn’t just the presence of athletes in London that made history, however. Their standout performances in a variety of disciplines was a badge of honor for Tunisians watching all over the world.

One of the first events in London that saw Tunisian athletes compete was fencing, where foil phenomenon Ines Boubakri blazed a trail through the Women’s Individual Foil competition, slicing her way into the quarterfinals only to face previous world champion and eventual bronze medalist Valentina Vezzali in a tough loss.

Combat sports were the scene of several Tunisian victories, in fields like wrestling, fencing, and and even judo. But it was swimming and track events, sports that Tunisia has typically done well in, that saw the biggest Tunisian victories and contributed to Tunisia’s best Olympic showing in modern history.

Much was expected of Oussama Mellouli, the Tunisian swimmer who brought home the gold in the Men’s 1500m Freestyle swimming event. When Mellouli and fellow Chinese swimmer Yang Sun finished with the fastest times of the qualifying round, seconds ahead of all other competitors, the final was expected to be a rematch between the two athletes and an opportunity for the Tunisian to retain his Olympic gold. Some fans of the Tunisian athlete even took to flooding Sun’s Facebook page with messages in praise of Mellouli. Mellouli started out the race looking weaker than he had before, but soon moved into medal territory, finishing third and bringing the country it’s first medal in London.

Tunisia has traditionally had its best results in track, with Olympian Mohammed Gammoudi racking up four medals in the late 1960′s and early 1970′s. Still, it had been many years since the track had seen success from a Tunisian athlete. This all changed this year when Tunisian Habiba Ghribi won a silver medal in the Women’s 3000m Steeplechase, setting a national record in the process. Barely able to contain her joy, she dedicated her success to the Tunisian people and Tunisian women in particular.
If Tunisia had stopped at two medals, its performance in London would have stood alongside some of the greatest performances in its Olympic history. But this all changed when Oussama Mellouli took to the water for the 10km Marathon. Cruising to victory, he pulled in his second medal, this time a gold one, and secured 2012 as Tunisia’s single best Olympic performance.

Though the Olympics were not without defeat and disappointment, London 2012 was a reminder of Tunisia’s ability to achieve. Despite an Olympic Committee that barely has enough money to fund itself and athletes who train on broken and non-functioning equipment, Tunisia’s first appearance in the Olympics since its revolution showed that athletes, running on nothing but dedication, national pride and a dream, can accomplish so much, keeping up with their international competitors and breaking boundaries in the process.