North African country participating in its first ever Winter Games
Tunisia’s Jonathan Lourimi earned his country’s first ever Winter Youth Olympics medal in bobsleigh, finishing 1.33 seconds behind winner So Kaehwan of South Korea and followed by Chi Xiangyu from China.
The 17 year old, who lives and trains in Sweden, qualified for the ongoing Winter Youth Olympics – taking place in Gangwon, South Korea – after finishing first at a qualification race that took place in Pyeongchang, South Korea, last November.
Speaking after his win, Lourimi expressed his thrill after the historic achievement.
“I never thought this was possible when I started with this sport one year ago. And now I’m here with a silver medal. It’s crazy. And yeah, I’m just going to enjoy the moment,” he told Olympics.com.
Lourimi said that he was not necessarily aiming for a medal and instead was focused on enjoying his first appearance at the event.
“Today, just the race, I just didn’t focus on any medals or any times. I just wanted to enjoy the time, as I have been doing in training.”
Lourimi was also excited about the opportunity to meet people from around the world.
As for his future goals, Lourimi said he will turn his attention to competing at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
“My goal is to be in the real Olympics,” he added. “So I am going to work hard for that, I will enjoy this moment for some weeks, and then keep on the hard work.”
Tunisia have sent a team of three bobsledders for the first time. The team includes Lourimi and 15-year olds Sophie Ghorbal and Beya Mokrani.
“No one knows bobsleigh and winter sports in Tunisia. I introduced the sport and the culture to our country. It’s great to have new opportunities for a country that doesn’t have any snow,” Ghorbal told had said last Friday.
Bobsleigh is a game invented by the Swiss in the 1860s where teams or individuals race down narrow, twisted and frozen tracks on a sled.
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