On Friday, Tunisian athlete Raoua Tlili won her fifth consecutive gold medal in the shot put at her fifth Paralympics. She threw 10.40m in the women’s shot put (F41), surpassing Uzbekistan’s Kubaro Khakimova (10.36m) and Argentina’s Antonella Ruiz (9.58m).
According to The Arab Weekly, her recent triumph was her third win in the F41 class at the Paralympics, following her first two shot put gold medals in Beijing and London. Her victory earned Tunisia and the Arab world their first gold medal at the Paris Paralympics.
Standing at 1.33 meters tall and 34 years old, Tlili stated: It is not easy as a short-stature person my age, especially if you compete against opponents who are 22-25 years old.
She continued: The message I send to Tunisian women, Arab women, and women in general is to believe in their abilities and potentials and to try to turn weakness into strength, no matter the field they excel in. And here is an example: Raoua, who is disabled, challenged the obstacles of disability and achieved good results.
Tlili added encouragingly: You need to have a strong personality and hold onto your dreams because you will fail many times in your life, but you must have patience and determination to overcome it. Grip it tightly, hold it well, avoid despair, and then you will gradually succeed.
She further expressed her desire for Raoua’s torch to keep shining for Tunisia and to help bring out new generations in my field.
