As the Paralympics 2024 are currently under way in Paris, and as paralympians show us that there is so much beauty in life, today, we will focus on yet another African athlete who gave her country the highest honors at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The athlete of our focus today is Algerian Kaylia Nemour, the gold medalist in gymnastics in Women’s uneven bars. Born in France of an Algerian father and a French mother, Nemour was representing France until last year when she switched her country to represent that of her father, Algeria. The switch came as a result of a rift between her and the French Gymnastics Federation which did not clear her to resume training after a knee surgery despite the fact that she had been cleared by her surgeon, and which also wanted Nemour to leave her club and train in Paris under their supervision instead, but she did not want to, and opted instead to switch to representing Algeria. She still lives and trains in France, at her club Avoine Beaumont Gymnastique whose director is her mother.

Since Nemour opted to represent Algeria, she has been on fire. At last year’s world championships, she won a silver medal on uneven bars, the first World medal ever by a gymnast representing an African nation. She is also an African all-around champion and has an element named after her in the Code of Points (The Nemour). This year at the Paris 2024 Olympics, she handed Algeria and Africa as a whole, its very first gold medal in gymnastics. She also got the best score of her life in the event, with a score of 15.700. Her victory is reminiscent of the victory of the great Algerian Hassiba Boulmerka who won the gold medal at the Barcelona 1992 Olympics in the Women’s 1500m, thus handing her country its very first Olympic gold medal ever.

We are proud of Kaylia’s choice to represent Algeria, it must not have been an easy choice, and we are also happy that the Algerian federation has been supportive of her. Her coach, Marc Tcherlinko, said, “It [representing Algeria] was not in the plan, but life serves you some curves, some rivers you must cross. For two years she stayed focused on her goal – the Olympics. What she’s achieved is amazing.” Nemour is considered by many as one of the best gymnasts of her generation on uneven bars. As a result of her Olympic victory, she has been decorated with the Ahid National Order of Merit of Algeria presented by the nation’s president. Just after her win, she said: “I am very, very, very happy with what I was able to do today. … It was my ultimate dream, years of work and hard work, details. … I am really honored to have been able to win this medal, first for me and for Algeria too.” I am sure Nemour has set an example for countless Algerian and African little girls. The future is bright for Nemour and promising for Algeria and the continent as a whole in gymnastics.