Fukuoka 2023, Day 8 Africa Recap – Hafnaoui Gracious in Victory, Credits Finke Post-Race

2023 WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

• July 23 to 30, 2023
• Fukuoka, Japan
• Marine Messe Fukuoka
• LCM (50m)
• Meet Central
• SwimSwam Preview Index
• Entry Book
• Live Results (Omega)
• Day 1 Prelims Live Recap | Day 1 Finals Live Recap
• Day 2 Prelims Live Recap | Day 2 Finals Live Recap
• Day 3 Prelims Live Recap | Day 3 Finals Live Recap
• Day 4 Prelims Live Recap | Day 4 Finals Live Recap
• Day 5 Prelims Live Recap | Day 5 Finals Live Recap
• Day 6 Prelims Live Recap | Day 6 Finals Live Recap
• Day 7 Prelims Live Recap | Day 7 Finals Live Recap
• Day 8 Prelims Live Recap | Day 8 Finals Live Recap

In the prelims of the men’s 1500, Tunisia Ahmed Hafnaoui broke the 15-minute barrier for the first time by swimming 14:49.53. Hafnaoui didn’t just scrape under it by a few tenths; he blew right by it by over ten seconds. Less than 36 hours later, he did something even more incredible and thanked his closest rival for helping him achieve it.

Entering as the #3 seed Hafnaoui set an obvious race strategy; don’t go out too fast but also don’t let American Bobby Finke out of your sights.

Through the first 250 meters, Hafnaoui sat back and only touched in 5th, two seconds behind the early leader Australian Sam Short. From the 250 turn to the 1000 turn, he was content with sticking with Finke and letting Short, who had led until that point, be the target for others to chase.

Whether it was by design or not, with 1400 completed, Hafnaoui split .23 faster than Finke did on the previous 50, opening up the margin from what had been .09 of a second to .32. While not an enormous difference, especially when there was still 100 meters left to swim, this difference proved pivotal. Hafnaoui did his best not to be “Finked” and split 29.15 and 26.23 (55.38) on the last two 50s. Finke, for his part, did try to run down Hafnaoui. Finke split 28.92 and 26.19 (55.11) over the last 100 but could not close the gap that Hafnaoui made in that 3rd to last 50—and finished just .05 behind the Tunisian’s 14:31.54.

A time that carries several accolades, the first being a new personal best time. The second was a new Tunisian and African Record, replacing the super-suited 14:37.28 swum by Ous Mellouli at the 2009 World Champs. The third, a new championships record, superseding the 14.32.80 swum by Italy’s Gregorio Paltrinieri last summer. The final and maybe most gratifying accolade is that his swim makes him the 2nd fastest performer and the 2nd faster performance. World Record Holder Sun Yang has only once been faster than 14:34.

After the race, Hafnaoui was ever gracious in victory, specifically citing his opponent, Finke, in helping make the win possible, “We’ve been working through the year for the 400m, 800m, and 1500m, and I think I deserve it. Bobby is so fast at the end of the race. He pushed us to do the ‘14:31’. It was so close to the world record. I enjoyed the race and thanks to Bobby for pushing me”.

While disappointed in finishing second by just .05, Finke repaid the kindness and echoed similar statements about Hafnaoui, saying, “It’s always great to add to the tally. Racing Ahmed was awesome. He pushed me faster than I thought I could go so I’m looking forward to racing him more often.”

Finke added, “I know he also has some finishing speed so I knew at the 1000m mark it was probably going to come down to a dogfight in the last fifty, so to be able to race him, and put up a good time, even though it was second, I’m happy with it.”

With this swim, Hafnaoui has erased two of Mellouli’s African records, the 400 free from night one and the 1500 tonight. Interestingly, Hafnaoui broke the record in the 400 by winning silver and yet fell short of the record in the 800 by 2.37 seconds, despite winning the race. Hafnaoui’s total haul of three medals (two gold and one silver) is the most since Mellouli won three in 2009 and slots Tunisia into the swimming medal table in 7th.

Hafnaoui has been training with and attending Indiana University and will be eligible to swim in the NCAA this coming season. Some have spoken out, hypothesizing that he will forgo the yards season to focus on Paris. Still, with all the effort and work Hafnaoui put into being able to attend the school, one could hope that he would partake in the collegiate swim experience fully.  Besides, who wouldn’t want to see him take a run at Finke’s mile record?

National/Continental Records Through Day 8:

• Benin
  • Marc Dansou – men’s 50 free, 25.16
  • Nafissath Radji – women’s 50 free, 29.81
•  Cameroon
  • Giorgio Nguichie Kamseu Kamogne – men’s 50 fly, 29.93
  • Hugo Nguiche – men’s 100 free, 1:03.00
  • Giorgio Nguichie Kamseu Kamogne – men’s 50 back, 33.75
  • Estelle Nguelo’o Noubissi – women’s 50 breast, 43.59
• Cape Verde
  • Jayla Pina – women’s 100 breast, 1:14.09
  • Jayla Pina – women’s 200 breast, 2:41.75
  • Troy Pina – men’s 50 back, 30.85
  • Mixed Medley relay, 4:37.00
  • Mixed Free relay, 4:07.35
• Comoros
  • Maesha Saadi – women’s 50 free, 33.05
•  Djibouti
  • Houmed Houssein – men’s 50 free – 26.76
•  Egypt
  • Abdelrahman Sameh – men’s 50 fly, 22.94
  • Marwan Elkamash – men’s 800 fre, 7:46.55
  • Youssef Ramadan – men’s 100 free, 48.77
• Guinea
  • Fode Amara Camara – men’s 50 fly, 28.42
  • Fode Amara Camara – men’s 50 breast, 33.42
  • Mariama Toure – women’s 100 breast, 1:35.41
  • Mariama Toure – women’s 50 breast, 41.81
• Guinea-Bissau
  • Pedro Rogery – men’s 100 free, 1:18.28
• Kenya* (swimming as Suspended Member Federation)
  • Mixed Free relay, 3:42.58
•  Lesotho
  • Refiloe Chopo – men’s 50 fly, 34.21
  • Refiloe Chopo – men’s 50 free, 31.68
• Malawi
  • Mixed Free relay, 4:17.43
• Mauritius
  • Anishta Teeluck – women’s 200 back, 2:18.63
  • Timothy Lebert – men’s 1500 free, 16:27.67
•  Namibia
  • Xander Skinner – men’s 100 free, 50.00
  • Xander Skinner – men’s 50 free, 22.78
• Niger
  • Salima Ahmadou Youssoufou – women’s 50 breast, 45.97
• Nigeria
  • Colins Obi Ebingha – men’s 50 free, 23.54
  • Mixed Free relay, 3:48.83
• Rwanda
  • Cedrick Niyibizi – men’s 100 free, 55.87
  • Cedrick Niyibuzi – men’s 50 free, 25.28
• Senegal
  • Steven Aimable – men’s 100 fly, 53.98
• South Africa
  • Rebecca Meder – women’s 200m IM, 2:10.95
  • Mixed Free relay, 3:30.16 *African Record
• Sudan
  • Rana Saadeldin – women’s 50 back, 36.32
  • Rana Saadeldin – women’s 100 free, 1:08.38
  • Ziyad Saleem – men’s 200 back, 2:00.52
• Tanzania
  • Sophia Latiff – women’s 50 free, 28.34
  • Mixed Medley relay, 4:37.35
• The Gambia
  • Aminata Burrow – women’s 100 breast- 1:14.32
  • Aminata Burrow – women’s 200 breast – 2:37.01
• Tunisia
  • Ahmed Hafnaoui – men’s 400m free, 3:40.70 *African Record
  • Ahmed Hafnaoui – men’s 1500m free, 14:31.54 *African Record
• Uganda
  • Tendo Mukalazi – men’s 100 free, 52.56
  • Kirabo Namutebi – women’s 100 free, 59.50
  • Mixed Free relay, 3:47.80
• Zambia
  • Mia Phiri – women’s 50 back, 30.17
  • Mia Phiri – women’s 50 free, 26.86
• Zimbabwe
  • Denilson Cyprianos – men’s 100 back, 57.29
  • Liam Davis – men’s 200 breast, 2:18.45
  • Denilson Cyprianos – men’s 200 back, 2:02.12

Medal Table (Africa) Through Day 8: