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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
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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.

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India Gets 9% More Monsoon Rain in July After Weak June 

Children play in the rain in Mumbai, India, June 20, 2024. (Reuters)
Children play in the rain in Mumbai, India, June 20, 2024. (Reuters)
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India Gets 9% More Monsoon Rain in July After Weak June 

Children play in the rain in Mumbai, India, June 20, 2024. (Reuters)
Children play in the rain in Mumbai, India, June 20, 2024. (Reuters)

India received 9% more rainfall than average in July as the monsoon covered the entire country ahead of schedule, delivering heavy rain in central and southern states, weather department data showed on Wednesday.

The lifeblood of the nearly $3.5 trillion economy, the monsoon brings nearly 70% of the rain India needs to water farms and refill reservoirs and aquifers.

Without irrigation, nearly half of the farmland in the world's second-biggest producer of rice, wheat and sugar depends on the annual rains that usually run from June to September.

In July, southern and central regions of the country received nearly a third more rainfall than the average, while east and north-eastern regions received 23.3% less rainfall, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The north-western part of the country got 14.3% less rainfall than average.

The surplus rainfall in July helped erase June's rainfall deficit of 10.9%, and the country has received 1.8% more rainfall since the start of the monsoon season on June 1.

Summer rains, critical for economic growth in Asia's third-largest economy, usually begin in the south around June 1 before spreading nationwide by July 8, allowing farmers to plant crops such as rice, cotton, soybeans and sugarcane.

This year monsoon covered the entire country six days ahead of the usual time of arrival, helping farmers to accelerate planting of summer-sown crops.