Computer Engineering, Computer Science - University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Club name
Trojan Swim Club, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Coach
Dave Salo (30 Nov 2010)
Injuries
He had to deal with a double slipped disk in the build up to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. (FINA Aquatics World Magazine, Mar 2010)
Additional information
Start of sporting career
He used to go swimming at a local pool in La Marsa. (,01 Jul 2011)
Ambitions
To win another Olympic gold at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. (12 August 2009)
Training
He trains for four hours a day. ( 12 August 2009)
Superstitions / Rituals
He reads the Koran before competing. ( 12 August 2009)
He slows down in the penultimate 100m to save energy and attack in the final 50m. (17 Aug 2008)
Awards
He won the first Arab gold medal in the finals of the 1500m freestyle at the Beijing Olympic Games.
He was named Tunisian Sportsperson of the Year in 2003 and 2004. (,30 Nov 2010)
General
BANNED FOR DRUGS
On 30 Nov 2006 he took part in a swimming meet in Indianapolis, USA. Doping control revealed the presence of amphetamines and he admitted taking an Adderall pill 2 days prior to the event to prevent himself from falling asleep while writing a report that counted towards his final university diploma. The disciplinary commission of the Tunisian Swimming Federation [FTN] concluded that the swimmer had not taken the drug to enhance his swimming performance and sanctioned him with a reprimand and warning. On March 30 2007 FINA appealed the FTN's decision requesting that a two year ban be placed on the swimmer. The Court for Arbitration of Sport [CAS] concluded that the case was one of negligence and he received an 18month suspension rather than the usual 24 months and was stripped of his competition results from the date of the incident. The 18 month suspension allowed him to compete at the Beijing Olympic Games where he won the 1500m freestyle.
(16 Aug 2008; Court of Arbitration for Sport [CAS], 30 Nov 2010)
