Swim King Hafnaoui Seeks to be Tunisia's Greatest Olympian

Homecoming: Ahmed Hafnaoui gives a press conference in Tunis - AFP
Homecoming: Ahmed Hafnaoui gives a press conference in Tunis - AFP
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Swim King Hafnaoui Seeks to be Tunisia's Greatest Olympian

Homecoming: Ahmed Hafnaoui gives a press conference in Tunis - AFP
Homecoming: Ahmed Hafnaoui gives a press conference in Tunis - AFP

Double world champion swimmer Ahmed Hafnaoui said Wednesday he wants to become Tunisia's greatest ever Olympian at the Paris Games next year.

The 20-year-old, who captured the 800m and 1,500m freestyle golds at the world championships in Japan last week, said he wants to "break the record for the Tunisian having the most medals and break all the world records."

Long-distance runner Mohammed Gammoudi is Tunisia's most successful Olympian with four medals between 1964 and 1972.

Hafnaoui already has one Olympic gold courtesy of his 400m triumph in Tokyo in 2021, according to AFP.

At the world championships last week in Fukuoka, he also claimed silver in the 400m.

"Everyone should believe in themselves and to work, to make sacrifices in order to be able to succeed," Hafnaoui told reporters on his return to Tunisia from Japan.

At the Paris Olympics next year, he said he may also enter the 5km and 10km open water swimming events as well the 200m freestyle in the pool.

"But the 100m will be very difficult", said the US-based swimmer.



Taylor Swift, Football Boost British Digital Publisher Daily Mirror Reach

Daily Mirror and Daily Express publisher Reach also owns scores of regional newspaper titles across the UK. Photograph: Yui Mok/PA
Daily Mirror and Daily Express publisher Reach also owns scores of regional newspaper titles across the UK. Photograph: Yui Mok/PA
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Taylor Swift, Football Boost British Digital Publisher Daily Mirror Reach

Daily Mirror and Daily Express publisher Reach also owns scores of regional newspaper titles across the UK. Photograph: Yui Mok/PA
Daily Mirror and Daily Express publisher Reach also owns scores of regional newspaper titles across the UK. Photograph: Yui Mok/PA

Taylor Swift's Eras tour, the European soccer championship and the UK election boosted digital revenue for British news publisher Reach in its second-quarter, reversing a decline in the first.

The publisher of the Daily Mirror, Daily Express and regional titles and associated websites cut cost to improve its margin by 3.9 points, resulting in a 23% rise in first-half operating profit to 44.5 million pounds ($57.1 million).

According to Reuters, revenue fell 5.2% to 265 million pounds, reflecting double-digit declines in print advertising in both the first and second quarters. Digital revenue, however, rose 6.7% in the second quarter after falling 8.5% in the first.

Chief Executive Jim Mullen said: "Alongside our expertise in managing our print product, we have traded our digital assets hard and delivered an operating margin improvement."

He said the group was delivering multi-platform journalism, with 9 million people signed up to receive news direct to their devices, including by WhatsApp.

"We had that three week burst with the Euros, the election and the phenomenon that is Taylor Swift," he said on Wednesday.

"But also some of the traditional advertisers are going through a purple patch, so food retail helped print, but it also helped digital," he added.

Shares in the company rose 1.2% in morning deals.