Tunisia's Jonathan Lourimi wins historic silver at Gangwon Winter Youth Olympics

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 athlete, whose father is Tunisian and mother Swedish, qualified for the Winter Youth Olympics – taking place in Gangwon, South Korea – after finishing first at a qualification race that took place in Pyeongchang last November.

Speaking after his win, Lourimi expressed his thrill over 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.”

He 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.