Paris 2024: Kaylia Nemour becomes first African Olympic medal-winning gymnast after taking individual uneven bars gold
Updated 04/08/2024 at 22:53 GMT+1
Young Algerian gymnast Kaylia Nemour made history in the women's uneven bars finals, winning the first-ever Olympic gold medal by an African in gymnastics. French-born Nemour recently switched allegiances and won Algeria's first gold of the games, as the 17-year-old beat Qiyuan Qiu and Sunisa Lee. Nemour scored 15.7 as the French crowd and Simone Biles cheered on.
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Video credit: TNT Sports
Seventeen-year-old Kaylia Nemour is the first-ever Olympic gold medal winning gymnast from Africa after winning the individual uneven bars final.
Nemour performed brilliantly, scoring 15.7 and beating China's Qiu Qiyuan, who won silver with a score of 15.5, and American Sunisa Lee, who scored 14.8, taking the bronze medal.
French-born Nemour recently switched allegiances to Algeria.
“I am very, very, very happy with what I was able to do today. I am still a little shocked, because I do not believe that I am Olympic champion on the uneven bars.
"It was my ultimate dream, years of work and hard work, details. I think it is really crazy and I am really honoured to have been able to win this medal, first for me and for Algeria too,” said Nemour.
"When I saw the score of the Chinese, I said to myself that I will have to go out there and bring out the routine of my life. That is what I did. I got the best score of my life."
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Nemour was clearly pushed on by the excitement of the crowd, who supported the young gymnast as if she was competing for the home nation.
Star Simone Biles was also watching on and cheering in support for the young gymnast.
This is not the first time that the 17-year-old has made history though. Nemour became the first African gymnast to take a medal home from the World Championships last year, securing the silver medal in the uneven bars discipline.
Nemour is also Algeria's only medallist at the Paris 2024 Olympics and the first gold medallist for the African nation since 2012, when Taoufik Makhloufi won gold in the men's 1500m.
Nemour also competed in the women's all-around final, finishing fifth in a star-studded field.
The teenager's gold is only the fifth Olympic gold medal in Algeria's history.
Imane Khelif is now guaranteed a bronze medal in the women's boxing, having beaten Luca Anna Hamori, to set up a semi-final bout with Janjaem Suwannapheng.
Monday marks the final day of artistic gymnastics at the Paris 2024 Olympics, with the women's floor exercise final the last event.
discovery+ is the streaming home of the Olympic Games, and the only place you can watch every moment of Paris 2024 this summer
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