Weightlifting: Tunisia leaves Mostaganem with 147 medals and three African records

Tunisia concluded the Arab and African Weightlifting Championships, held from October 5 to 13, 2026, in Mostaganem, Algeria, with a total of 147 medals and three broken African records, report La Presse de Tunisie and Webdo.

The breakdown highlights the scale of the haul: 82 medals at the Arab championships (24 gold, 45 silver, 13 bronze) and 65 at the African championships (19 gold, 31 silver, 15 bronze), for a total of 43 individual titles according to La Presse.

Hibatallah Tebbini sets three continental records

The three African records for the Tunisian delegation were the work of a single athlete, Hibatallah Tebbini, in the cadet category. Competing in the over 77 kg and over 86 kg classes, she also brought home fifteen medals from the two competitions. Neither La Presse nor Webdo specified the exact categories for the records or the weights lifted.

A delegation carried by its women

Four other athletes are returning with fifteen medals each, all in the women's categories: Khaoula Mejri in the 49 kg class, with nine Arab titles and six silver medals at the African championships, Yasmine Radhouani in the 53 kg class, Takwa Touati in the 57 kg class, and Ghofrane Ghrissa in the 77 kg class, according to La Presse. Among the boys, Idriss Ouerthi, in the 60 kg class, secured nine medals, including three African titles, according to Webdo.

In the team events, Tunisia claimed the Arab and African titles in the junior girls' categories. They finished second in the cadet categories in both competitions, as well as in the senior women's category at the Arab championships.

These figures tell a story beyond a simple medal table. It was the cadets and juniors who propelled the Tunisian delegation to the top in Mostaganem, within well-represented women's categories. It is at this level of development, far from the spotlight of major senior events, that future continental and Olympic cycles are being prepared.