Oussama Mellouli is currently training to qualify for a sixth consecutive Olympic Games.
Tunisian swimmer Oussama Mellouli targets sixth Olympics
Tunisia's Oussama Mellouli reacts after winning the gold medal in the men's 1500-meter freestyle final at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Sunday, Aug 17, 2008.
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Itsuo Inouye/AP2008
If he successfully clinches a spot in the 10km open water event, he would become just the fourth swimmer in history to compete in six Olympics (behind Therese Alshammar, Lars Frolander and Derya Buyukuncu).
The Tunisian participated in the Open Water Marathon in Doha on 13th March 2021 to prepare for the Olympic qualifiers but did not achieve good results.
Since returning from an Adderall-related drugs ban, Mellouli has been the 1500m freestyle world champion at the 2009 World Aquatics Championships with a winning time of 14:37.28, then the second-best performance of all time.
Mellouli was gold medallist in the 1500m freestyle at the 2008 Olympics.
At London 2012, he won gold in the 10km marathon and bronze in the 1500m freestyle to become the first Olympian to win medals in both the open water and the pool in a single Olympics.