After his bronze-medal performance in the 1500m and gold-medal move in the Olympic 10km marathon swim in London, Ous Mellouli was given honor of leading Tunisia and carrying his country’s flag at the Closing Ceremonies.

“We did not lead our teammates into the stadium, but instead all the flag bearers walked in together in the middle of the stadium and then let the rest of the delegations join in. It was different than the Opening Ceremonies, but it was still an incredible honor.”

The humble, hard-working swimmer battled back over the last 3 years with shoulder problems; yet he took a shot on the toughest swim on the Olympic schedule. A champion in deed; a champion indeed.

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