Oussama Mellouli, Tunisia's Lion of the Pool

He beat Grant Hackett of Australia, who'd won the event in Sydney and Athens, beat Cochrane Ryan of Canada, beat Jensen Larsen of the United States and a few other swimmers, including two Chinese hometown favorites, and in a time of 14:40.84, a second ahead of Hackett's 14:41.53, Oussama Mellouli brought home Tunisia's first-ever medal in swimming, and Tunisia's second-ever gold in any sport. The first dates back to 1968 in Mexico City when Mohamed Gammoudi won the 5,000m run (Gammoudi, a national hero, also won the bronze in the 10,000 the same Games, and accounts for four of the seven medals Tunisia has ever won).

For Mellouli, the gold is also vindication: Just before the Olympics he'd finished serving a year-and-a-half ban from the sport after it was discovered that he'd doped up on Adderall, the stimulant, at the US Open in November, 2006.

"I've been waiting for this moment for two years. It's the redemption I wanted and I got it," Mellouli said. "This year was difficult because of the (drugs) penalty, but I thank God for the talent I've been given. At the Olympic Games anything can happen. It was a miracle and for once the miracle was for me."

Hackett had dreams of becoming the first Olympian to win the same event three Olympics in a row. Still, he didn;t begrudge Mellouli's past: "It's something I am not going to get into, his past is his past, it's not for me to worry about," Hackett said. "He was a competitor on the blocks today, in relation to the rules he abided by them, he did a good race and good on him."

See Also:

• Tunisia at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games
• Tunisia: Country Profile
• The Middle East's Best Travel Spots