Weightlifting: In Mostaganem, Tunisia's Khaoula Mejri bags 15 medals, including 9 gold, in one day

Tunisian athlete Khaoula Mejri won 15 medals, including 9 gold, in a single day of competition at the African and Arab Weightlifting Championships, held in Mostaganem, Algeria, from October 8 to 13, 2026. Competing in the under-49 kg category, she secured the best Tunisian haul since the start of the competition, according to the Tunisian website Webdo.

Why so many medals at once

The number is impressive, but it can be explained. In Mostaganem, the two championships—African and Arab—are held in the same venue, and each weightlifter is ranked three times per event: in the snatch, the clean and jerk, and the total. Furthermore, athletes compete in several age groups: youth, junior, and senior. A single performance can therefore result in multiple podium finishes.

In detail, Khaoula Mejri secured her 9 titles in the Arab Championships, in the snatch, clean and jerk, and total, across the youth, junior, and senior categories, and completed her haul with 6 silver medals at the African Championships, in the youth and junior categories, according to Webdo.

Two other Tunisians keep up the pace

The following day, Tunisia did it again. Yasmine Radhouani, in the 53 kg category, walked away with 15 medals—5 gold, 9 silver, and 1 bronze—and Idriss Ouerthi, in the under-60 kg category, added 9, including 3 continental titles in the junior category, again according to Webdo. Between the three of them, these weightlifters have already totaled 39 medals: 17 gold, 21 silver, and 1 bronze. The Tunisian delegation consists of 18 athletes, ten women and eight men.

Algeria makes a strong start to its home championships

The host country is not to be outdone. Algeria had nine gold medals at the end of the first day, six in the Arab Championships and three in the African Championships, reports the site Algérie Brèves News. In the 55 kg youth category, Salim Anes achieved a clean sweep in the snatch, clean and jerk, and total in the Arab competition. In the girls' under-45 kg category, Lamis Driss won in the snatch with 50 kg, the clean and jerk with 61 kg, and the total with 111 kg.

The competition, hosted at the El Bab El Habib hall of the Commandant-Ferradj sports complex, brings together more than 340 weightlifters from 29 countries across Africa and the Arab world. It continues until October 13, 2026, with several more men's and women's categories yet to be decided.

Beyond the medal count, these championships speak to the foundational work carried out by the continent's federations in an Olympic discipline where North Africa has built a true school of excellence. The weights lifted in Mostaganem are already shaping the contours of the African selections for the major events to come.