Kaylia Nemour Becomes Africa's First Olympic Gold Medalist in Gymnastics

Kaylia Nemour Becomes Africa's First Olympic Gold Medalist in Gymnastics

Algeria's Kaylia Nemour made history by becoming the first African gymnast to win an Olympic medal, capturing gold with a stunning routine on the uneven bars at the Paris Games yesterday, impressing the audience at Bercy Arena. The 17-year-old wowed the crowd with her fast-paced routine, which included several complex release-and-catch maneuvers, earning their enthusiastic support, especially given her previous representation of France.

China’s Qiu Qiyuan, the 2023 world champion, claimed silver, while American Sunisa Lee took home her second consecutive Olympic bronze on the apparatus, scoring 14.800 points.

In men’s gymnastics, Carlos Edriel Yulo from the Philippines won the vault title, his second Olympic gold in two days following his floor exercise victory on Saturday. Artur Davtyan of Armenia took silver, and Britain’s Harry Hepworth earned bronze. 

On the rings, Liu Yang successfully defended his Olympic title, winning China’s first gymnastics gold in Paris. His teammate Zou Jingyuan took silver, while Eleftherios Petrounias of Greece secured bronze.

As Nemour completed her dismount from the uneven bars, the fans erupted in cheers, and she broke down in tears, securing Algeria’s first medal of the Paris Olympics with an impressive score of 15.700 points. Despite being the favorite for gold, Nemour was still in disbelief after her victory. “I can’t believe this has happened,” she said, overwhelmed by her first gold medal at a major global competition. “This is too much. I have no words.”

Nemour had followed Qiu Qiyuan, who briefly led the standings with a score of 15.500 points after a spectacular routine. “When I saw her result of 15.500 points, I knew I had to fight,” Nemour said. “I quickly refocused and achieved the best score of my life at just the right moment.”

The Algerian Olympic Committee hailed Nemour as a legend in a statement, praising her for showcasing Algeria's strength and determination with her remarkable victory. American gymnast Sunisa Lee cheered for Nemour throughout her routine. 

“I was aiming for third place because I really wanted Kaylia to win. She’s just incredible,” said Lee, who won her sixth Olympic medal. Nina Derwael of Belgium, the previous Olympic champion on the apparatus, narrowly missed the podium, finishing just 0.034 points behind.

British gymnast Rebecca Downie’s hopes for a podium finish were dashed after she fell during her signature release-and-catch move, finishing seventh out of eight finalists. Despite the fall, she completed her routine with a smile and saluted the crowd, bringing her Olympic journey in Paris to a close.

Carlos Yulo also emerged as a national hero, with his second gold making him the first Filipino to win two Olympic golds. “Winning yesterday relieved all my stress,” Yulo said. “Today, I was more relaxed and gave it my all because there was nothing to lose anymore.” 

The final artistic gymnastics events of the Paris Games are set to conclude today, with competitions in the men’s parallel and horizontal bar finals, as well as the women’s balance beam and floor exercise. American gymnast Simone Biles, the most decorated gymnast of all time, will be competing for two more golds to add to the three she has already secured in Paris.