Paris 2024: Raoua Tlili on shining the torch for Tunisia
Tunisia’s six-time Paralympic champion Raoua Tlili wants to share a special message to women in her country when she competes in her fifth Games 19 Aug 2024
For Tunisia’s Raoua Tlili, the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will be an opportunity to add another medal to her extensive collection. Tlili, who competes in discus throw and shot put, has already won Paralympic six gold medals across four Games.
She won gold in discus throw at the Beijing 2008, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, plus gold in shot put at the London 2012, Rio and Tokyo Games. Add to that a string of world titles in both disciplines, and it is no wonder that she has previously described herself as a “throwing queen”.
And by competing on the biggest stage, Tlili wants to share a special message to women in her country to believe in themselves. The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, which open on 28 August, will feature as many as 1,069 athletes competing in 164 medal events.
Raoua Tlili: The path to Paralympic greatness
From Beijing 2008 to Tokyo 2020
One of the most successful Para athletes from Tunisia, Tlili says she got into sport by chance.
“I was studying at a middle school and the athletics centre for non-disabled people was next to the school. The centre coach saw me. He is the one who discovered me and asked me to join,” said Tlili, who is of short stature.
“I didn’t have any idea about it. Paralympic sports were not well-known.”
It turned out that the coach had seen something special. Tlili currently holds the world records in the discus throw and the shot put in the F41 category, setting the discus record at Tokyo 2020.
But with all the medals she owns, does one have a special significance?
“My athletic journey began in 2008 in China and that was the starting point and the beginning of my professional career,” Tlili says. “It was when I entered this world and experienced the joy of winning my first gold medal.
“Over time, each medal had a unique significance until I kept succeeding every year and continued to improve. Each medal surpassed the previous one.”
To win in Beijing, she had to overcome nerves, and she says the knowledge of her family backing her was key.
“I was young and didn't know how skilled athletes managed their stress. When I first entered the Beijing stadium my father's words were always in my ear. That gave me the boost to overcome the stress I was feeling and that is the thing I remember the most,” Tlili recalled.
Six gold medals, six memories
There is one medal among the many she has won which stands out: that Tokyo 2020 title in discus.
“In the discus throw competition in 2021 the record was broken three times in one event. The Tokyo medal has a different charm. I beat the record on the last attempt,” she remembers.
That said, she has a special place in her heart for her first medal, too.
“A mother does not differentiate between her children but there is always a special nostalgia for the first thing, meaning the gold medal I won in shot put. The nostalgia is for that, but I love them both,” she says, comparing the first medal with the most recent.
Shining the torch for Tunisia
Tlili’s love of her gold medals extends to her look – she is known for her long blonde hair, picked as a colour because it reminds her of gold. Tlili is determined to win again in Paris and to continue setting an example as a role model to Arab and Tunisian women in particular.
“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,” she says.
Not that success always comes easy, she adds: “I feel that the task is very challenging because you always feel like you're at the forefront and all the competitors rely on you. You always feel that the responsibility is doubled for the championship, but I know how to manage it with the staff around me.
“I want Raoua’s torch to keep shining for Tunisia and to help bring out new generations in my field. Paralympic sports changed my life and my family's life because, besides being a sport, it also became a source of income. It made me more self-reliant and it’s joyful to depend on it for a livelihood,” Tlili says.
The real secret to her success, Tlili believes, is her mindset.
“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.”
Discover more about Para athletics and the sports in the Paris 2024 Paralympic sports programme
