Oussama with his medal

Oussama Mellouli, an MSc student with University of Essex Online, won silver at the at the FINA World Swimming Championship adding another medal to his growing collection.

Oussama Mellouli, the Tunisian national now living and training in the United States competed in the 1500m freestyle in Doha, Qatar. He wowed spectators, keeping them on the edge of their seats as he delivered an incredibly close race, finishing less than 3 seconds off gold medal winner Grégorio Paltrinieri (Italy); clocking times of 14 min 18 sec 79 and 14min 16sec 10 respectively.

Oussama began his MSc in Business and Management in early 2014 and has kept his grades consistently high, whilst managing to maintain his strict regime of training. He said: “Working towards an MBA degree at Essex University Online is not a task one can take lightly, but I fully enjoy the programme which gives me flexibility in my schedule, more freedom to travel, train and compete around the world; important as I gear up for the 2016 Rio Olympics. It gives me the right tools to help me reach new heights in life and in business”.

Mellouli is not the only famed athlete taking up study with University of Essex Online, Nick Youngquest the Australian born former rugby superstar is winging his way towards an undergraduate Business qualification and doing well. Youngquest is perhaps best known as the chiselled face and body of Paco Rabanne’s Invictus fragrance. He said: “I travel a lot for work and as such I can't guarantee that I'll be in the same location for long enough to attend a campus university. Online study works brilliantly for me as I'm able to learn from home, airports, hotels and now even in the air at 35,000 feet. It's a study method that requires effort and dedication, but that's something I thrive on”.

The University of Essex Online staff are extremely proud of both Oussamma and Nicholas’ athletic achievements and look forward to supporting them with their continued study, helping them add academic success to their already impressive CVs.