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Kaylia Nemour is competing to win a historic gold medal in the gymnastics at the Olympics in Paris, and is an outside contender to challenge Simone Biles and reigning champion Sunisa Lee in the individual all-around final.
The 17-year-old is the favourite for the uneven bars title on Sunday after setting the highest score - a huge 15.600 - in qualifying, and finished fifth in the individual all-around final.
Nemour was born in France, grew up in France, and trains in France, and when she takes to the floor at the Paris Bercy Arena she will be roared on like a home star at the Olympics. However, there are no French athletes competing in the all-around final.
That’s because Nemour is representing Algeria at the Olympics having switched to the country of her father’s birth in 2023 following a bitter feud with the French Gymnastics Federation. Nemour holds dual-citizenship and was roared on by the crowd in qualifying.
The dispute started after Nemour underwent double knee surgery in 2021, having struggled with a bone and cartilage condition. The French Gymnastics Federation thought Nemour’s issues were a result of overtraining and held her back from competing, angering her club, Avoine Beaumont.
Nemour holds dual-citizenship but the French Gymnastics Federation threatened to block her switch to Algeria, in a case that reached as far as the French minister of sport when it looked as if Nemour would have been unable to compete at the Olympics. It was only last year that Nemour’s switch was granted ahead of the Olympics.
“I had a lot of support from my family, my coaches, the people who follow me,” she said. “My mother and my coaches told me to stay focused in my training, to stay in my bubble.
“But it’s the past, it’s behind me, I have to keep moving forward. Algeria opened its doors to me and welcomed me with open arms, so I’m very happy.”
Since returning to competition with Algeria, the 17-year-old has established herself as one of the best in the world. She won the silver medal in the uneven bars at the world championships in 2023, becoming the first gymnast from Africa to win a medal at the event. At the Olympics, she can win Africa’s first ever gymnastics medal if she finishes on the podium.
Nemour has said she is not out for “revenge” at the Olympics and said she was surprised by the support she received from the crowd at the Paris Bercy Arena in qualifying, with both French and Algerian fans cheering her on. "I was super happy, I did not necessarily expect it,” she said.
