University Southern California Trojans
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USC Alumnus Ous Mellouli Punches Ticket to Sixth Olympic Games
June 21, 2021 | Men's Swimming & Diving
Trojan distance swimming great Ous Mellouli, who was an NCAA champion (400y IM in 2005) and All-American swimmer at USC, earned a spot on the Tunisian Olympic Team for an amazing sixth time, punching his ticket to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games after finishing 10th in the 10k open water swim Olympic qualifier on Sunday (June 20) in Portugal.
The 37-year-old will become only the fourth swimmer ever to compete in six Olympics. The only other Trojan in any sport to appear in six Games was American fencer Janice Lee York Romary (1948-52-56-60-64-68).
Mellouli became the first African male swimmer to win an Olympic gold medal in an individual swimming event when did so in the 1500-meter freestyle in 2008 (it was just the second gold medal his country had ever earned). He picked up another gold, this time outdoors, when he won the open water 10K in 2012 (he also won bronze that Olympics in the 1500m freestyle).
He carried the flag for Tunisia in the opening ceremonies in 2016 Olympics and in the closing ceremonies in 2012.
Mellouli still holds the USC record in the men's 400y IM (3:39.19 – 2003) and both the Uytengsu Aquatics Center 400m (3:44.79 – 2006) and 800m (7:49.02 – 2006) freestyle records.
In 2018, Mellouli was inducted into the USC Athletic Hall of Fame.
The 37-year-old will become only the fourth swimmer ever to compete in six Olympics. The only other Trojan in any sport to appear in six Games was American fencer Janice Lee York Romary (1948-52-56-60-64-68).
Mellouli became the first African male swimmer to win an Olympic gold medal in an individual swimming event when did so in the 1500-meter freestyle in 2008 (it was just the second gold medal his country had ever earned). He picked up another gold, this time outdoors, when he won the open water 10K in 2012 (he also won bronze that Olympics in the 1500m freestyle).
He carried the flag for Tunisia in the opening ceremonies in 2016 Olympics and in the closing ceremonies in 2012.
Mellouli still holds the USC record in the men's 400y IM (3:39.19 – 2003) and both the Uytengsu Aquatics Center 400m (3:44.79 – 2006) and 800m (7:49.02 – 2006) freestyle records.
In 2018, Mellouli was inducted into the USC Athletic Hall of Fame.
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