When nobody believes in you. Except you.
When just two years ago you were ranked outside the top 100 in the world.
When, coming into Tokyo, according to FINA, the international swim governing body, your world ranking was No. 17.
When, coming into the race, you are the last qualifier — by a mere 14-hundredths of a second.
When you are only the second swimmer, ever, from Tunisia to make an Olympic swim final — the distance legend Ous Mellouli a gold medalist in the 1500 meters in Beijing in 2008, a bronze winner in London in 2012 and, as well, the 10-kilometer open-water gold medalist in London.
As the last qualifier, you were out in Lane Eight, typically the province of the oh-he’s-in-race-but-so-what guy.
But this — this — was one of those races where anyone had a chance.
Sun Yang, the Chinese star, was out of the Tokyo Games, found liable — controversially — of a doping violation.
Mack Horton, who won Rio 2016 gold, finished third at the Australian swim Trials. Just as at the U.S. Trials, a third place meant he failed to make the team.
Elijah Winnington, 21, who won the Aussie trials, went out strong Sunday, leading the race after the first 150. Then Jack McLoughlin, 26, the second-place finisher at those same Australian Trials, took over, leading the race through the next four laps, through 350.
Out on the outside, meanwhile, Hafnaoui, third at 100, had pulled himself into second by the third turn — that is, behind Winnington, in the next lane over, seven, at 150 meters. He just stayed there. In second, now behind McLoughlin, in lane two, way over across the pool. Chugging along. Hafnaoui's splits from 200 and beyond were the sort you love, because consistency is what wins: 28.55, 28.50, 28.56, 28.42.
Then came the final 50.
And 18-year-old Ahmed Hafnaoui just turned it on. He went 27.23. Boom. He was, incredibly, improbably, Olympic champion. The winning time: 3:43.36.
McLoughlin took second, 3:43.52, 16-hundredths back.
American Kieran Smith surged to bronze with a final-lap 27.13, touching in 3:43.94, 58-hundredths back.
"I just can’t believe it." Hafnaoui said. "It’s a dream," he added. "And it came true."
Ahmed Hafnaoui of Team Tunisia reacts after winning the gold medal in the Men's 400m Freestyle Final on day two of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Tokyo Aquatics Centre on July 25, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan.
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