Wikipedia

Kaylia Nemour

Kaylia Nemour (Arabic: كيليا نمور, romanized: Kailiya Numur; born 30 December 2006) is an Algerian[2] artistic gymnast. She currently represents Algeria internationally. She is the 2024 Olympic champion on the uneven bars and the first gymnast from any African nation to win an Olympic medal. At the 2023 World Championships, she became the first African gymnast to win a medal at the World Championships, winning silver on the uneven bars. She is the 2023 African all-around champion.

Kaylia Nemour
كيليا نمور
Nemour at the 2023 Paris World Challenge Cup
Personal information
Country represented Algeria (2022–present)
Former countries represented France (2017–2021)
Born (2006-12-30) 30 December 2006 (age 17)
Saint-Benoît-la-Forêt, France[1]
DisciplineWomen's artistic gymnastics
LevelSenior International Elite
Years on national team2017–2021 (FRA)
2022–present (ALG)
ClubAvoine-Beaumont
Head coach(es)Marc Chirilcenco, Gina Chirilcenco
Medal record
Representing  Algeria
Women's artistic gymnastics
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2024 Paris Uneven bars
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2023 Antwerp Uneven bars
African Championships
Gold medal – first place 2023 Pretoria All-around
Bronze medal – third place 2023 Pretoria Team
FIG World Cup
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
World Cup 4 1 1
World Challenge Cup 0 1 1
Total 4 2 2

Early life

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Nemour was born in Saint-Benoît-la-Forêt, France, to a French mother and an Algerian father. Her father's parents were from Jijel Province, Beni Meslem tribe, Algeria, making Kaylia and her father dual nationals.[3] Nemour was brought up in her mother's Catholic faith.[4]

Early gymnastics career

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She began gymnastics when she was four years old.[5] Nemour made her international debut at the 2017 Tournoi International where she placed 16th in the all-around in the espoir division.[6] She competed on all four events at the Top 12 Series 2, helping her club win its matchup against Lyon.[7]

Nemour's first event of 2018 was the Top 12 Series 3. She contributed on uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise toward Avoine's win over Rouen.[8] Then at Series 4, she competed on the uneven bars and helped her club win against Haguenau.[9] At the Top 12 Final she competed on uneven bars and floor exercise, helping Avoine win the silver medal overall.[10] At the 2018 French Championships, she finished seventh all-around in the espoir division.[11]

Junior gymnastics career

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2019

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Nemour competed on vault, balance beam, and floor exercise at the 2019 Top 12 Finals, helping Avoine finish second.[12] At the French Championships, she won the all-around for her age division; additionally, she scored the highest on floor exercise and uneven bars, and third highest on vault.[13] In September, she competed at the Mediterranean Championships where she helped France finish third as a team. Individually, Nemour placed first in the all-around, on uneven bars, and on balance beam, fourth on vault, and fifth on floor exercise.[14]

 
Nemour (left) representing France at the 2019 Élite Gym Massilia

Nemour competed at the Swiss Cup Juniors where she helped France finish second as a team. Individually, she won silver in the all-around behind Ana Bărbosu.[15] Then at the Elite Gym Massilia, she placed fifth in the all-around. In the event finals, she won the gold medal on the uneven bars and bronze on the floor exercise behind Viktoria Listunova and Jennifer Gadirova.[16] She helped Avoine win its matchup against Colomiers at the Top 12 Series 2.[17]

2020–21

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In February 2020, Nemour competed on all four events at the Top 12 Series 3, helping Avoine win its matchup against Combs la Ville.[18] Most competitions were canceled or postponed in 2020 due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. She returned to competition in October at the French Test Meet, winning the junior all-around title by over three points.[19] She competed at the Coupe d’Hiver as part of the Blue Team, in which they finished first. Additionally, Nemour finished first in the all-around.[20]

In 2021, Nemour competed at the Top 12 Championships. She had the highest scores of the competition on the three events she competed, and she helped Avoine win the title.[21] She then competed at the French Championships. She only competed on the uneven bars but won the title ahead of the senior competitors.[22] Nemour had to undergo two surgeries on her knees after developing osteochondritis.[23]

Senior gymnastics career

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2022

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Nemour became age-eligible for senior international competition in 2022. Although her personal doctor cleared her to resume training after the knee surgeries, the French national team doctor was unwilling to do so. The French Gymnastics Federation also wanted Nemour to leave her club and train in Paris under their supervision, but Nemour did not want to.[24][25] As a result, Nemour opted to change her nationality to represent Algeria. In July, the International Gymnastics Federation approved the nationality change; however, because the French Gymnastics Federation blocked the request, Nemour would not be able to represent Algeria in FIG-sanctioned competitions (such as World Championships or African Championships) until July 2023.[26][27]

In October, Nemour made her debut for Algeria at the Arab Championships, which is not an FIG-sanctioned event. While there, she helped Algeria win gold in the team competition. Individually, she won gold on the uneven bars and silver on balance beam behind Jana Abdelsalam.[28]

2023

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Nemour was able to compete at the French domestic events at the beginning of the season. She helped Avoine win its matchups at the Top 12 Series 2, 3, and 4.[29] At the Top 12 Finals, she scored 15.350 on the uneven bars, the highest score of the entire competition, to help Avoine win the championship.[30]

 
Nemour at the 2023 Paris World Challenge Cup

In early 2023, an online petition began circulating, pressuring the French Gymnastics Federation to release Nemour and allow her to compete at the upcoming African Championships, which served as a qualifying event for the 2023 World Championships.[24] In May, Thierry Vildary, a French sports journalist, released a report documenting the French Gymnastics Federation's abuse of other gymnasts. A result of the report was that the federation released Nemour, which allowed her to compete at the African Championships two weeks later.[31][32]

At the African Championships Nemour helped Algeria finish third as a team. Individually, she won the all-around ahead of reigning African champion Caitlin Rooskrantz and Jana Abdelsalam. In doing so, Nemour earned an individual berth to compete at the World Championships later in the year.[33][34] In September, Nemour competed at the Paris World Challenge Cup, where she took the silver medal on the balance beam as well as bronze on the uneven bars.[35]

At the World Championships in Antwerp, Nemour qualified for the uneven bars final in third with a score of 14.733 and the individual all-around final with a total score of 53.699. These placements made her the first Algerian gymnast to qualify for a World Championship final. Furthermore, by finishing in 13th place in the all-around during the qualification round, Nemour qualified as an individual to compete at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.[24][36] In the all-around final, she placed eighth, the highest placement for any gymnast representing an African nation, highlighted by a 15.200 on the uneven bars.[37] In the event final, she missed her opening combination but still scored 15.066, less than a tenth behind Qiu Qiyuan of China and earning the silver medal, the first World Championship medal received by an African gymnast.[38][39]

After the World Championships, Nemour competed at the Arthur Gander Memorial and won the bronze medal in the all-around behind Júlia Soares and Mélanie de Jesus dos Santos.[40]

2024

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Nemour at the 2024 Olympics

Nemour began the year competing at the World Cups in Cottbus, Baku, and Doha. She won gold on the uneven bars at all three competitions. At Baku, she also scored a bronze on floor exercise, and at Doha, she won silver on balance beam and gold on floor exercise.[41][42]

At the Olympic Games, Nemour qualified for the uneven bars final in first place, as well as the all-around final. During the all-around final, Nemour scored a 55.899 and finished fifth in the competition, the highest placement for an African gymnast in an Olympic all-around final.[43] During the uneven bars final, Nemour earned a score 15.700 to win the gold medal ahead of Qiu Qiyuan and Sunisa Lee. In doing so, Nemour became the first gymnast from the African continent to win an Olympic gold medal in gymnastics, as well as an Olympic medal of any color in gymnastics.[44]

Eponymous skill

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Nemour has an uneven bars release named after her in the Code of Points. The release is commonly called the "inbar Nabieva," and she first performed it at the 2023 African Championships.[24]

Apparatus Name Description Difficulty[a] Added to the Code of Points
Uneven bars Nemour Inbar to counter reversed laid out hecht over high bar G 2023 African Championships
  1. ^ Valid for the 2022–2024 Code of Points

Competitive history

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Nemour with her medals
 
2023 World Championships (silver)
 
2024 Olympic Games (gold)
Year Event Team AA VT UB BB FX
Avenir  
2017 Tournoi International 5 16
Top 12 Series 2  
French Elite Championships  
Espoir  
2018 Top 12 Series 3  
Top 12 Series 3  
Top 12 Final  
French Elite Championships 7
Junior  
2019 Top 12 Final  
French Elite Championships       5  
Mediterranean Championships     4     5
Swiss Cup Juniors    
Elite Gym Massilia 5    
Top 12 Series 2  
2020 Top 12 Series 3  
French Test Meet        
Coupe d’Hiver    
2021 Top 12 Championships  
French Elite Championships  
Senior  
2022 Arab Championships      
2023 Top 12 Series 2  
Top 12 Series 3  
Top 12 Series 4  
Top 12 Finals  
African Championships    
Paris World Challenge Cup    
World Championships 8  
Arthur Gander Memorial  
2024 Cottbus World Cup   4 6
Baku World Cup   4  
Doha World Cup      
RomGym Trophy        
Olympic Games 5  
Arthur Gander Memorial  
Swiss Cup  

Awards

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  • Fatima Bint Mubarak Women Sports Awards: Best Arab Women Athlete 2024

References

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  1. ^ "NEMOUR Kaylia".
  2. ^ Habbari, Kaddour; Metz, Sam (6 August 2024). "French-Algerian gymnast Kaylia Nemour may be a dual national, but her gold medal is all Algeria's". AP News. Archived from the original on 6 August 2024. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  3. ^ "Gymnastique : une championne de France opte pour l'Algérie" [Gymnastics: a French champion opts for Algeria]. Algerie 360 (in French). 26 July 2022. Archived from the original on 12 December 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  4. ^ "Why the Top Gymnast in France Is Competing for Algeria". New York Times. 31 July 2024. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
  5. ^ "Nemour Kaylia FIG profile". International Gymnastics Federation. Archived from the original on 15 December 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  6. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (13 November 2017). "2017 Tournoi International Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  7. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (16 December 2017). "2017 Top 12 Series 2 Results". The Gymternet. Archived from the original on 16 May 2019. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  8. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (1 February 2018). "2018 Top 12 Series 3 Results". The Gymternet. Archived from the original on 10 September 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  9. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (1 March 2018). "2018 Top 12 Series 4 Results". The Gymternet. Archived from the original on 16 May 2019. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  10. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (19 March 2018). "2018 Top 12 Final Results". The Gymternet. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  11. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (20 May 2018). "2018 French Championships Results". The Gymternet. Archived from the original on 14 May 2019. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  12. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (28 April 2019). "2019 Top 12 Finals Results". The Gymternet. Archived from the original on 14 May 2024. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  13. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (9 June 2019). "2019 French Championships Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  14. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (1 October 2019). "2019 Mediterranean Championships Results". The Gymternet. Archived from the original on 15 May 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  15. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (2 November 2019). "2019 Swiss Cup Juniors Results". The Gymternet. Archived from the original on 3 April 2024. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  16. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (25 November 2019). "2019 Elite Gym Massilia Results". The Gymternet. Archived from the original on 14 May 2024. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  17. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (9 December 2019). "2019 Top 12 Series 2 Results". The Gymternet. Archived from the original on 3 April 2024. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  18. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (1 March 2020). "2020 Top 12 Series 3 Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  19. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (31 October 2020). "2020 French Test Meet Results". The Gymternet. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  20. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (13 December 2020). "2020 Coupe d'Hiver results". The Gymternet. Archived from the original on 30 May 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  21. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (28 March 2021). "2021 Top 12 Championships Results". The Gymternet. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  22. ^ Troadec, Elodie (7 June 2021). "Gymnastique : Kaylia Nemour a placé la barre très haut lors des championnats de France" [Gymnastics: Kaylia Nemour set the bar very high during the French championships]. La Nouvelle République du Centre-Ouest (in French). Archived from the original on 5 August 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  23. ^ Troadec, Elodie (23 December 2021). "Gymnastique : 2021, une année en or pour Avoine/Beaumont" [Gymnastics: 2021, a golden year for Avoine/Beaumont]. La Nouvelle République du Centre-Ouest (in French). Archived from the original on 9 August 2024. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  24. ^ a b c d Abulleil, Reem (3 November 2023). "Kaylia Nemour: Algerian gymnast ready for Paris 2024 after rollercoaster start to career". The National. Archived from the original on 3 January 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  25. ^ Claret, Winny (21 April 2023). "JO 2024 : Kaylia Nemour, grand espoir de la gymnastique en France, empêchée de concourir" [2024 Olympics: Kaylia Nemour, great hope for gymnastics in France, prevented from competing]. France Info (in French). Archived from the original on 18 April 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  26. ^ "Official News from the Executive Committee – July 2022". International Gymnastics Federation. 22 July 2022. Archived from the original on 26 September 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  27. ^ Duret, Loreena (22 April 2023). "JO de Paris 2024 : Kaylia Nemour, espoir de la gymnastique française ne pourra pas concourir en raison d'un imbroglio" [Paris 2024 Olympics: Kaylia Nemour, hope of French gymnastics will not be able to compete due to an imbroglio]. La Depeche (in French). Archived from the original on 26 May 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  28. ^ Troadec, Elodie (6 October 2022). "Championnats arabes : retour en force pour Kaylia Nemour" [Arab Championships: strong comeback for Kaylia Nemour]. La Nouvelle République du Centre-Ouest (in French). Archived from the original on 9 August 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  29. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (13 February 2023). "2023 Top 12 Series 2 Results". The Gymternet. Archived from the original on 4 April 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
    Hopkins, Lauren (26 February 2023). "2023 Top 12 Series 3 Results". The Gymternet. Archived from the original on 4 April 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
    Hopkins, Lauren (26 March 2023). "2023 Top 12 Series 4 Results". The Gymternet. Archived from the original on 4 April 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  30. ^ Bourda, Léo (30 April 2023). "Top 12 F : Avoine-Beaumont s'impose en finale face à Haguenau" [Top 12 F: Avoine-Beaumont wins in the final against Haguenau]. La Nouvelle République du Centre-Ouest (in French). Archived from the original on 9 August 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  31. ^ Galipoud, Baptiste (17 May 2023). "Avoine-Beaumont : Kaylia Nemour va pouvoir concourir de nouveau à l'international" [Avoine-Beaumont: Kaylia Nemour will be able to compete internationally again]. La Nouvelle République du Centre-Ouest (in French). Archived from the original on 17 May 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  32. ^ D'Agostino, Karyssa (5 June 2023). "With nationality drama behind her, Kaylia Nemour is focused on Olympic berth". Gymnastics Now. Archived from the original on 4 August 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  33. ^ "South Africa Takes Team Title at 17th African Artistic Gymnastics Championships". Gymnastics South Africa. 26 May 2023. Archived from the original on 2 June 2023. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  34. ^ Schmitt, Leo (26 May 2023). "Championnats d'Afrique : Kaylia Nemour impressionne et décroche l'or" [African Championships: Kaylia Nemour impresses and wins gold]. La Nouvelle République du Centre-Ouest (in French). Archived from the original on 26 May 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  35. ^ "Encore une médaille pour Kaylia Nemour, en argent sur la poutre aux Internationaux de France" [Another medal for Kaylia Nemour, silver on the balance beam at the French World Cup]. La Nouvelle République du Centre-Ouest (in French). 17 September 2023. Archived from the original on 6 August 2024. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  36. ^ "Rendez-vous Paris 2024: See who qualified to the women's team competition!". International Gymnastics Federation. 3 October 2023. Archived from the original on 6 October 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  37. ^ Chevrinais, Pierrick (6 October 2023). "Gymnastique : l'Avoinaise Kaylia Nemour décroche une très belle 8e place sur le concours général des Mondiaux" [Gymnastics: Avoinaise Kaylia Nemour takes a very good 8th place in the all-around competition at the Worlds]. La Nouvelle République du Centre-Ouest (in French). Archived from the original on 9 August 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  38. ^ Gunston, Jo (9 October 2023). "What we learned from the 2023 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships and Paris 2024 Olympic qualifier in Antwerp". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 9 August 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  39. ^ "Athlete Inspiration: Perseverance has paid off for Algerian sensation Nemour". International Gymnastics Federation. 15 February 2024. Archived from the original on 10 March 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  40. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (2 November 2023). "2023 Arthur Gander Memorial Results". The Gymternet. Archived from the original on 29 March 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  41. ^ "Golden celebrations and Olympic qualifications: Who did what at the Baku World Cup". International Gymnastics Federation. 11 March 2024. Archived from the original on 6 April 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  42. ^ "Champions in Cottbus! All the thrills from a World Cup weekend to remember". International Gymnastics Federation. 27 February 2024. Archived from the original on 6 April 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  43. ^ "Simone Biles claims gold as Nemour places fifth in all-around gymnastics at Paris 2024". The National. 1 August 2024. Archived from the original on 9 August 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  44. ^ "French-born Kaylia Nemour wins historic Olympic gold for Algeria, Suni Lee wins bronze". NBC. 4 August 2024. Archived from the original on 9 August 2024. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
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