Habiba Ghribi of Tunisia competes in the Women\'s 3000m Tunis – Nabil Zaghdoud Celebrations spread across Tunisia Monday night as Tunisian runner Habiba Gharibi) won the silver medal in the women’s 3,000 meter steeplechase at the London Olympics after achieving a personal best of 9:08.37.
Pictures of the 28 year old runner dominated Tunisian social meda. One of the bloggers wrote: \"What a beautiful free Tunisian woman without veil or niqab, just a modern determined woman who is crossing all barriers.\"
Another blogger wrote:  \"Habiba Gharibi has honored Tunisia and raised its flag in the skies of London. This is an example of a free Tunisian woman.\"
In the same context, Maryam posted a tweet on her Twitter account saying: \"this is a call, the National Constituent Assembly’s women, especially from the Ennahda movement”. A reference to the proposal made by the movement on women\'s rights, in which Ennahda MPs stressed the integration of men and women, while MPs from other blocs believed it as a form of regression and a retreat from basic principles such as equality.
Runner Habiba Gharibi dedicated her medal to the people of Tunisia, saying in a statement after winning the silver medal “I dedicate my victory to the Tunisian people. I have trained hard for this race and exerted a lot of effort. The atmosphere was very competitive and I was expecting to get a medal and I am very happy to break my personal record. Those who exert their utmost, are rewarded at the end.\"
\"I thought that I am qualified to win the gold medal, but I was injured at the beginning of the year and had to wait to regain my form. I am very happy with the silver medal. It\'s a historical medal for Tunisians, especially for the women of Tunisia. I hope to go back to my homeland one day with a gold medal.”
Habiba Gharibi’ medal is the second victory for Tunisia in the current Olympic Games after swimmer Oussama Mellouli won the bronze medal in men’s 1500-meter freestyle on Saturday.