Algeria's Kaylia Nemour celebrates after winning the artistic gymnastics women's uneven bars final during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Bercy Arena in Paris, on August 4, 2024. (Photo by Loic VENANCE / AFP)
Paris: Kaylia Nemour of Algeria delivered the country’s first Olympic gold medal in gymnastics, putting together a thrilling routine in the uneven bars final on Sunday to edge Qiu Qiyuan of China.
Sunisa Lee of the U.S. picked up her third medal in Paris and sixth of her Olympic career by grabbing bronze, exactly where she finished in Tokyo three years ago.
Nemour is French and still trains in France but switched to compete for Algeria following a dispute with the French gymnastics federation and Nemour’s club of Avoine Beaumont, which has led the gymnast to embrace her father’s Algerian nationality.
The 17-year-old is a wonder on bars, swooping from one to the other with a series of releases and intricate hand maneuvers that are both athletically and technically demanding.
Nemour needed to rely on all those skills to edge Qiu, who put on a clinic during her set. Her legs were practically magnetized together during her routine and she was so straight on her handstand she looked like a ruler. Qiu hugged her coaches after her dismount and the crowd erupted when her 15.5 was posted.
Nemour scored 15.7, tied for the highest score of the meet in any event.
While Nemour competes under a different flag - she draped the Algerian banner behind her after clinching her victory - she was very much on home soil. A raucous ovation followed after she won the first-ever gymnastics medal for Algeria.
