Tunisia's Ahmed Jaouadi triumphs in 800m freestyle at championships

Tunisia’s Ahmed Jaouadi clinched his first significant title by winning the 800m freestyle at the world swimming championships on Wednesday, executing a perfectly timed strategy.

Jaouadi made his decisive move halfway through the race in Singapore, pulling ahead to finish in 7 minutes 36.88 seconds, outpacing German competitors Sven Schwarz (7:39.96) and 400m champion Lukas Maertens (7:40.19).

Having placed fourth at last year’s Paris Olympics, Jaouadi recorded the third-fastest time in history.

“I didn’t really focus on strategy; I was just trying to manage the race and see how it unfolded,” the 20-year-old remarked.

“At one point, I noticed the pace wasn’t particularly quick, so I decided to take the initiative and make my move.”

Ireland’s Olympic champion Daniel Wiffen finished in last place with a time of 7:58.56.

Bobby Finke, the Olympic 1,500m champion, came in fourth with a time of 7:46.42.

Jaouadi dedicated his victory to fellow Tunisian Ahmed Hafnaoui, a former Olympic and world champion who was handed a 21-month suspension in April due to three anti-doping violations.

“This win is for Hafnaoui — he’s going through a tough time right now,” Jaouadi stated.

Australia’s Sam Short, who had qualified as the second-fastest for the final, had to withdraw just hours before the race due to stomach issues.

Short, who won silver in the 400m freestyle, is the latest swimmer affected by illness this week in Singapore.

The United States team reported that the “overwhelming majority” of their swimmers had experienced acute gastroenteritis, while Italy’s Nicolo Martinenghi expressed feeling unwell prior to his 100m breaststroke final.