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Algeria’s Kaylia Nemour won gold in the women’s uneven bars final at the 2024 Paris Olympics, becoming the first African athlete to win an Olympic medal in rhythmic gymnastics.
The 17-year-old finished top of the qualifying rounds, earning a higher score of 15.700 from the judges thanks to a flawless and fast performance that included several complex releases and catches.
“I’m so shocked, this has been my lifelong dream. I can’t believe this is actually happening, I’m speechless,” she said.
Nemours’ success also won Algeria its sixth Olympic gold medal since its first appearance in Tokyo in 1964.
The North African nation last made the podium at the 2012 London Olympics, when Taoufik Makhloufi won the men’s 1500m title.
Last year, Nemours, who was born in Saint-Benoit-la-Forêt, France, became the first African to win a medal at the gymnastics world championships when she won silver in the uneven bars final in Antwerp.
She had a much better result on Sunday at the Bercy Arena, where China’s Qiu Qiyuan, the reigning world champion, finished second with 15.500 points and American Sunitha Lee took bronze.
“In qualifying, I scored 15.600,” Nemours said.
“When I saw her (Yiu Shuzhen) 15.500m score, I really had to fight hard and run the best performance of my life.
“It’s crazy, it’s such an honor and relief to get this medal after everything I’ve been through.”
Defending Olympic champion Nina Derwael of Belgium was fourth in the race.
Last year, Nemours fell out with the French gymnastics federation over her return from a knee injury and subsequently represented Algeria, the country of her father’s birth, in gymnastics competitions.
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