Tunisia and Japan celebrated unexpected golds on the opening day of swimming medal events before normal service was resumed with the Australian women's 4x100m freestyle relay team smashing their own world record on the way to the title in Tokyo.
Chase Kalisz settled American nerves by delivering the country's first gold of these Games, winning the men's 400m medley as part of a U.S. one-two with Jay Litherland.
Hafnaoui's gold is only the fifth by a Tunisian athlete at the Olympics, but their third in swimming, and he was left stunned by his performance. It was left to her team mates and Japanese officials to roar her home as she delivered gold for the hosts in a time of 4:32.08."I couldn’t go to the Rio Olympics, so for the past five years this became a big dream for me. This accomplishment is amazing."
Hungarian Katinka Hosszu, who has dominated the event in recent years and was defending champion, could finish only fifth. Kalisz, 27, grabbed the lead on the first length of the backstroke after France's Leon Marchand had led after the butterfly leg and never looked back.
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