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On Sunday, August 4, two weeks after the young gymnast’s spectacular coronation at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Kylia Nemoursr, the uneven bars gold medalist, is still on cloud nine.
In Algeria, she received a warm welcome from the President of the Republic, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, pleas from the media around the world and thousands of messages of sympathy from anonymous people, the teenager who presented herself to the world at a high level with high-quality feats during the 2024 Olympics, a fairy tale is unfolding.
Just over a year ago, she was almost deprived of the opportunity to participate in international competitions because of a minor disagreement with the French Gymnastics Federation. How was this possible?
Her choice to travel to Algeria, the country of her grandparents, allowed her to not only compete in these sporting events, but also win titles alongside the best in the sport, such as the United States and China.
« I’m very proud to win this medal for Algeria and Africa. It’s the first time, so it’s pretty incredible and really I don’t necessarily realize it, I’m still a little bit in the dark about it. I still know it’s historic and it’s crazy. », she admitted on Friday in an interview with the media Brut.
Nor did 17-year-old Kaylia Nemour realise the change in status she had achieved after her impressive performance in the uneven bars final, the enthusiasm of the Algerians but, most importantly, a phone call from the President of the Republic, which she probably wasn’t expecting.
Kaylia Nemour recounts Tebboune’s phone call
« The next day, I was caught a little bit, and all along, a lot of media wanted to question me; I received a lot of very good news “, she said.
After the event, the young 1.66m gymnast will answer questions from the media, then undergo anti-doping testing before returning to wait for a call from the president.
« He congratulated me and told me that I was the pride of Algeria, so no, that’s crazy », she tasted it.
Did she realize that after her decision to defend the Algerian colors, she was closely watched by thousands, even millions of Algerians from Algeria and France, who had high hopes for her to win a medal?
« Kaylia Nemour admitted, “I knew there would be noise. But there probably wasn’t as many people in the stands supporting me. In fact, there was a whole room behind me. No, I didn’t expect that much.” “, she confided.
Reflecting on the day of the event, the 17-year-old athlete explained how she managed stress.
« I’ve competed in a lot of tournaments, but not many at a high level like the Olympics. My first tournament was the World Championships, so it was only a year away, but during that year I had some big tournaments and it was a lot of pressure and it was a bit like the format of the Olympics, so it helped me persevere in those tournaments. “, she said.
« This has been my dream my entire gymnastics career. »
“I tried to eliminate unnecessary little stress. It’s true that I was already focused on qualifying because if I missed it, the race was over. On the day of the final, the pressure was huge. However, I said to myself: If I do the moves I have to do, there’s no reason why it won’t work » So, when I said this to myself, I relaxed a little bit and I said to myself, “ I don’t have to work as hard, but it’s not that I do less than usual, it’s just that I do it like I normally do, even when it’s super complicated, especially with bleachers and people, I don’t put pressure on myself, but it’s the opposite of that. “, she said.
After four years of hard work, Kaylia Nemour decided to take a break. need ”, she said before resuming the Olympic cycle next September and preparing for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles, where she hopes to repeat the feat. Still part of the Algerian Federation ” Gym.
The young gymnast has once again ruled out a return to the French team, which she left in 2022 after a long standoff with the French Gymnastics Federation.
Kaylia Nemour was not authorized by the FFG to resume competition after double knee surgery in 2021, forcing her to change her sporting nationality and choose Algeria. This decision has caused gnashing of teeth in France, as France has lost a piece of gold.
For the gymnast, the story is already behind her.
« This is something I’ve dreamed of my entire career as a gymnast and it’s right in front of me; I guess I haven’t realized it yet. It’s crazy, I didn’t realize I was already there, and in truth there’s nothing else to it other than this really is the end of the end. I hope to compete again in four years and why not win another medal », she stared at the gold medal around her neck with hope and happiness in her eyes.
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