Swimmer profile: Tunisia’s Oussama Mellouli – Distant freestyle and IM specialist
Tunisian born Oussama Mellouli is an African swimmer who specialises in the distant freestyle and Individual Medley events. He started his career in 2003 and nourished steadily with time until the catastrophic drug discovery in 2006, which got him into hot
waters. Currently, the African record holder trains in a club at the University of South California.
The high moments of his career came at the 2009 World Aquatics Championships, when he won the 1500m freestyle in 14:37.28 minutes. His effort has been hailed as his second best performance ever. He even grabbed a gold medal in the 1500m freestyle at the
2008 Beijing Olympics.
Mellouli emerged on the world arena at the 2003 Barcelona World Championships, where he earned a bronze medal in the 400m Individual Medley category. He won his first gold medal at the international level at the 2004 FINA Short Course Championships in Indianapolis,
where he swam the 400m IM and earned his mark. Later on, at the 2004 Athens Olympics, he secured the fifth spot in the 400m IM and chalked an African Record.
Mellouli’s performance improved at the 2005 Montreal World Aquatics Championships, where he won two bronze medals in the 400m freestyle and 400m IM.
At the 15th Spanish Mediterranean Games in 2005, his elevated performance in his swims of 200m medley, 400m medley and 800m freestyle won him gold medals. His performance at the championships met the expectations of viewers and many coaches speculated
a promising career for the African swimmer.
He was the audience’s delight at the December 2006 US Open Championships, where he defeated Michael Phelps by finishing the 400m IM in 4:15.61 minutes, while Phelps had completed the same distance in 4:18.32 minutes. This swim was however nullified under
a 18-month ban after Mellouli’s positive doping report in 2007.
The year 2007 was full of unexpected turn of events for Mellouli. On February 19, he swam at the University of Missouri and broke his own record that he made in 2003. At the World Championship in Australia held in March, Mellouli swam the 400m freestyle
in 3:45.12 minutes to win a silver medal.
Few weeks after the championships, doping test reports suggested that Mellouli had been tested positive for using a substance that was banned at the 2006 US Open. It also surfaced that Tunisian authorities were well aware of the positive results but did
nothing more than giving him a warning. Then FINA, the international body for aquatics sport, who has strict rules regarding drug use, took up the case to Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
CAS gave its ruling on September 11, 2007, which enforced an 18-month ban on the player. His suspension began from November 30, 2006 and consequently, all his results of the 2007 events and all his qualifying times for the 2008 games were nullified. His
ban was to be lifted in the mid of 2008.
Then, at the 2008 Olympics, Mellouli ended the 10-year reign of Australian swimmer, Grant Hackett in the 1500m freestyle. Hackett was undisputed in the Men’s 1500m freestyle from 1997-2007, but at the Olympics; Mellouli touched the wall just before Hackett
and won the gold medal.
At the 2009 World Championships in Rome, Mellouli won a gold medal in 1500m freestyle and two silver medals in 400m freestyle and 800m freestyle, respectively. The same year at the Mediterranean Games, he won five gold medals in 200m, 400m and 1500m freestyle,
along with the 200m and 400m IM meets.
The Olympic champion remain undisputed in 1500m freestyle at the 2010 Dubai World Championships, where he won a gold in his main event, a silver medal in 400m IM and two bronze medals in 200m and 400m freestyle.
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