Coming from an underprivileged background, Amri found her passion in wrestling. Despite financial and social hardships, she managed to work and train in order to achieve her dream. She represented her country Tunisia, in many African and international competitions and dominated the top rankings. In 2016, she was the first African woman to win an Olympic medal in wrestling. Her journey — full of obstacles and victories — is inspiring to follow.
Born January 8th, 1989, in Tunis, Amri is a freestyle wrestler. Growing up as the eldest of four siblings, the 32-year-old athlete lost her father at the age of nine. His death was followed by financial difficulties that made Amri work at a young age by helping her mother bake bread and sell it. At 11, she discovered wrestling and began training in Megrine, in the southern suburb of Tunis. In an interview given to Espn in 2016, the young wrestler said that she used to spar with boys since only a few girls took up the sport. According to Amri, there were only seven female wrestlers in Tunisia when she started. As Tunisia is a relatively conservative society, “rough” sports — which require physical strength — are reserved exclusively to men, not to women.The athlete refuted these stereotypes by saying that although men are physically stronger, women come up with unexpected techniques and moves that help them win.
In a country like Tunisia where resources are limited even in vital areas, Amri didn’t get much financial support from the ministry of sports, and had to self-subsidize for her foreign trips as a wrestler. She revealed to Espn that all of the girls whom she started training with stopped wrestling due to the lack of financial support. Although Amri, who has a degree in physical education, worked as a PE instructor in a school, she kept training every day in her free time. She was also mindful about her diet and cardio.
The Psyche of Olympians
In 2008, at the age of 19, the Tunisian athlete participated in her first ever Olympics in Beijing. She finished 14th (in 55kg). Four years later in London, Amri made it to the quarterfinals and was ranked 8th. The Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games was a turning point in the career of the athlete. Amri made history by winning a bronze medal and was the first African female athlete to win a medal in wrestling. The athlete was in tears after defeating her opponent Yuliya Ratkevich in the last ten seconds of the match. Amri has won some big medals before such as nine gold medals in the African Wrestling Championship in the women's 60 kilograms event in Marrakesh, in 2017, and a silver medal in the World Wrestling Championship in Paris, the same year. However, this one meant much more since it was a dream come true for the athlete. The Tunisian wrestler told Espn that she was so happy that she slept with the medal the day she won it. For her, it symbolized the beginning of a new era in her career.
Last year, the Tunisian star won her 11th gold medal in the women's freestyle (62 kg) event at the 2020 African Wrestling Championship. At the 2021 African & Oceania Wrestling Olympic Qualification Tournament, Amri qualified to represent Tunisia at this year’s Summer Olympics in Tokyo in freestyle wrestling (62 kg). The athlete — who has dominated the top rankings for years now — is Tunisia’s hope to bring a medal home.
In 2017, Amri was featured in the sport’s show Dimanche Sport which is broadcasted on the National Tunisian channel. During this episode, the athlete went to meet Rawia Ahmed, a 13-year-old Tunisian fan. Ahmed, who is a wrestler too, said that she has always been inspired by the Olympic champion and looks forward to following in her footsteps. Later, Amri and Ahmed visited the wrestling training centre in Megrine, where the athlete started her career. There, a group of young female wrestlers were waiting to meet Amri. The Tunisian wrestler said that it made her happy how the girls asked her about her career and the challenges she faced. She also admired their ambition and determination when they told her how they’ll be champions one day, and even defeat her in a wrestling match.
Amri’s story is a true inspiration for every African female athlete, whose intersectionality with gender, race and class is a major obstacle for them. By surpassing these barriers, Amri proved to them that it is possible to achieve their dreams no matter who they are.