Walid Ktila

A relative late comer to the competitive scene, Walid Ktila wasted no time in making his mark in the T34 class and has dominated the world stage in recent years, achieving a clean sweep of four gold medals at each of the last three World Championships.

At the London 2012 Paralympic Games he stole the show with gold in both the 100m and 200m T34.

In Lyon, France, at the 2013 World Championships he did even better, topping the podium in the 100m, 200m, 400m and 800m T34 events.

No major events in 2014 did not hinder Ktila’s rapid progress. Between February and May he set new world records in the 100m (15.33), 200m (26.69), 400m (50.04) and 800m (1:42.33).

Then in May 2015 at a meeting in Arbon, Switzerland, Ktila broke two of his own world records, first in the 800m T34 where he knocked more than two seconds off his previous best, crossing the line in 1:40.21, then in the 100m T34 where he took the tape in 14.95.

The Tunisian proved unstoppable at the 2015 World Championships in Doha, Qatar, where he successfully defended all four of his titles – the only athlete to notch up four individual golds in the Middle East.

At the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games his gold medal run at major events came to an end. Despite lowering the Paralympic record twice on his way to 100m T34 (15:14) gold, he was beaten into silver in the 800m by the UAE’s Mohamed Alhammadi.

But he was back at the top of the podium at London 2017, again winning a phenomenal four world titles with new championship records in each event.

Ktila also lowered his own world records during the 2017 season. He clocked 26.21 over 200m in Arbon, Switzerland in May, then knocked a further 0.03 seconds off days later at the nearby Nottwil Grand Prix. He also lowered his 400m best to 49.08 in Arbon.