Algerian teenager Kaylia Nemour became the first African athlete to win an Olympic gymnastics medal with gold on the uneven bars in Paris.
She also registered her country’s first medal at the 2024 Olympic Games.
The 17-year-old French-born athlete’s breathtaking routine wowed the crowd at the Bercy Arena on Sunday, securing her the title ahead of China’s Qiu Qiyuan, with Team USA’s Sunisa Lee taking bronze. Defending Olympic uneven bars champion Nina Derwael of Belgium finished fourth.
Nemour was under pressure after Qiyuan posted a score of 15.500 with an immaculate routine, but the rising gymnastics star outperformed the Chinese gymnast with an exceptionally difficult routine, finishing with a score of 15.700.
Nemour has competed for Algeria since last year after a dispute with the French gymnastics federation but found plenty of support at the Bercy Arena.
She switched to represent her father’s country after the French federation blocked her from competing on medical grounds following a dispute.
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