Mellouli hails 'miracle' after taking gold to accompany indoor medal
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Tunisia's Oussama Mellouli won the gold medal in the men's swimming marathon to become the first competitor ever to get medals in the pool and open water.
Britain's Daniel Fogg finished fifth in the 10km open-water competition with a time of 1hr 50min 37.3sec. Mellouli won the 1500 metres freestyle gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and used his superior speed to burst clear of his rivals and win the gruelling race in the Serpentine in Hyde Park.
"I can't explain it, I can't really describe it," Mellouli said after pumping his chest when he finished. "I don't think this has ever been done before. This is probably one of the toughest things to do. I'm a pretty solid guy and I never react but you saw that reaction, that says it all."
Germany's Thomas Lurz won the silver medal and Richard Weinberger of Canada the bronze but no one could keep up with 28-year-old Mellouli after he charged into the lead on the fifth of the six loops.
He quickly opened up a three-body-length lead over the chasing pack and maintained his advantage to the end, slapping the overhead touch pads to win gold in 1hr 49min 55.1sec.
"I've been struggling, with my shoulder, my elbow, I had a virus. What happened today is a miracle if you believe in miracles," Mellouli said.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments