On Monday, July 28, 2025 in Singapore, ISHOF will induct its very first Honoree from the country of Tunisia. Ous Mellouli, both pool and open water swimmer, will be inducted as an Open Water Swimmer. He won 66 international medals in his extraordinary career, which includes six Olympic Games, beginning in 2000 and ending at the Tokyo 2020/21 Games. At the London Games in 2012, Mellouli won a bronze medal in the 1500m freestyle in the pool and three days later he jumped into the Serpentine and won the gold medal in the 10 km, which became known as the “Mellouli Double”. In addition, Mellouli won a gold medal in the 1500m freestyle four years previously in 2008 at the Beijing Olympics. At the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, Ous may have finished in 12th place, but it was just seven seconds behind gold medalist, Ferry Weertman.
Mellouli was an extremely versatile swimmer, swimming the freestyle events, ranging from 200-1500 meters to eventually the 10k, to the IM, where he swam the 200 and 400 meters. His first World Championship competition was in 2003 where he came away with a bronze in the 400m IM. His first title came the following year at the 2004 short course edition of Worlds in Indianapolis where he won the gold medal in the 400 IM and the bronze in the 200 IM. He was a consistent presence at the World Championships, both long and short course, winning bronze in the 400 IM and 400 freestyle in 2005; In 2009, he won gold in the 1500m freestyle and silver in both the 400m and 800m freestyle; At the 2010 Worlds, he took the title in 1500m free, a silver in the 400 IM and bronze in the 200 and 400m freestyle.
Then in 2012, he began swimming Open Water, thanks to the help of coach Catherine Vogt. After surprising the Open Water world and taking the gold in the 10km in London, he competed at the 2013 World Championships, winning gold in the 5km and bronze in the 10km races. Mellouli continued swimming both in the pool and in the open water until his retirement after the Tokyo Games.
Mellouli was the first male African swimmer to win Olympic gold in an individual event (1500-meter freestyle (2008) ~ his country’s second gold medal ever. In 2012, he was named FINA Open Water Swimming Athlete of the Year, Swimming World Magazine Male Open Water Swimmer of the Year; and was won the Swammy Award awarded by SwimSwam for Open Water Swimmer of the Year, all for 2012. At the London Olympic Games, he was Tunisia’s flag carrier in the closing ceremony and in the 2016 opening ceremony in Rio, Tunisia gave him the honor again to carry the Tunisian flag. In 2018, he was inducted into the University of Southern California Athletic Hall of Fame.
Ous Mellouli recently made a post about his upcoming ISHOF induction on social media:
“This coronation or honoring or commemorating that the health of the phrase is important. It’s a great confession that enters me again in history, but this time it wasn’t about the pursuit of the winners but with the votes of the men and the top game specialists in the world. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. The love of sports unites me and I am grateful to them that I have lived this noble honor.
In my career, I had an important share of honors and honors from presidents of Tunisia, governors, princes of Arab countries and senior officials in many countries of the world. They are all dear to me and as a token of love and appreciation that words cannot describe. But this tribute has an exceptional and special tone. I am very proud that my name and the name of my country Tunisia are organized to the list of swimming legends in the world and there are those who had a great influence on me in my beginnings and I consider them the main reason for my love and attachment to this sport like Russian Vladimir Salnikov (the first swimmer to break the 15 minute barrier in 1500 freestyle) or Australian Kieran Perkins (Barcelona 92 went, Atlanta 96) and many other swimming champions in the 90s. And I was talking to my brothers, mother, and father those days and saying to them, I wish I was like Fulan!
And in fact, there are other names worthy of this crowning and I dedicate this unique honor to them. All those people who shared my career and believed in me when I was young and I did not have enough confidence or courage in myself to dream of one day being a world champion or an Olympic champion. Every trainer I trained under his guidance and advice, every official honored and contributed to my career, every journalist followed and commented on the events of the championships I participated in in Tunisia and abroad, and the price of my efforts, and every doctor helped me overcome and resist injuries, and every friend and brother stood by my side. And help me in difficult times and share my joy in the days of victory and every lover wrote to me with thanks and congratulations, and increased in me determination and insistence. And my mother and father, and it is impossible for me to explain why or express the right of expression the giant role they played. Thank you for everything and only. And thank you all. I wish you with sincerity and sincerity that victory will be your ally and success will be your portion and everyone you love.
And the last thing to say is Thank God.”
Join Ous Mellouli and the other 11 outstanding Honorees who will be inducted this year at ISHOF’s Diamond Anniversary in Singapore! Buy your tickets NOW for ISHOF’s 60th Anniversary of the Honoree Induction Ceremony in Singapore in conjunction with the World Aquatics World Championships
WHEN: Monday, July 28, 2025, 1:00 PM
WHERE: Park Royal Collection, Marina Bay, Singapore
Tickets are NOW ON SALE ~ purchase them HERE!
Buy your tickets NOW for ISHOF’s 60th Anniversary of the Honoree Induction Ceremony
ISHOF Class of 2025
Anthony Ervin (USA) Honor Swimmer
Ryan Lochte (USA) Honor Swimmer
Federica Pellegrini (ITA) Honor Swimmer
Joseph Schooling (SIN) Honor Swimmer
Ous Mellouli (TUN) Honor Open Water Swimmer
Chen Ruolin (CHN) Honor Diver
Endre “Bandi” Molnar (HUN) Honor Water Polo Player
Andrea Fuentes (ESP) Honor Artistic Swimmer
Gregg Troy (USA) Honor Coach
Captain Husain Al Musallam (KUW) Honor Contributor
Sachin Nag* (IND) Honor Pioneer Swimmer
Guo Jingjing (CHN) Honor Diver (Class of 2016)
*deceased
The International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) is proud to announce this truly international Class of 2025. This year, ISHOF will induct 12 honorees from nine countries. In addition, ISHOF will be inducting Honorees from four new countries that we have never had Honorees inducted from before, Kuwait, India, Tunisia, and Singapore.