Tunisian swimmer Ahmed Jaouadi triumphs in Singapore after battling depression

Tunisian swimmer Ahmed Jaouadi claimed a remarkable victory in the 800-meter freestyle at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, marking a powerful comeback after a period of depression and limited training.

The 20-year-old finished the race in 7 minutes, 36.88 seconds, placing him third on the all-time fastest list, behind China’s Zhang Lin (7:32.12) and fellow Tunisian Oussama Mellouli (7:35.27), according to Reuters.

“It feels great. Especially this season. I didn’t go back to training until March. I didn’t have a lot of time to prepare for this,” Jaouadi said after the win.

Jaouadi had faced a setback last December when he placed third at the Budapest short course world championships—a result that deeply affected him.

“After Budapest, I got into some kind of depression and I wasn’t ready to go back to training at some point,” he admitted.

His Singapore performance is all the more notable given that the two men ahead of him on the all-time list—Zhang and Mellouli—set their records in 2009 wearing now-banned “supersuits” made from polyurethane. These high-tech swimsuits were prohibited by World Aquatics in 2010 due to concerns they gave wealthier swimmers an unfair advantage by enhancing buoyancy and reducing drag.

In a show of national pride, Jaouadi dedicated his gold medal to Ahmed Hafnaoui, Tunisia’s Tokyo Olympics 400-meter freestyle champion.