PARIS (AP) — Kaylia Nemour of Algeria made history by securing the country’s first gold medal in gymnastics with a captivating routine on the uneven bars final on Sunday, narrowly surpassing China's Qiu Qiyuan.
Sunisa Lee of the U.S. added to her impressive Olympic career by winning bronze, marking her third medal in Paris and her sixth overall. This finish mirrors her performance from Tokyo three years ago.
Although Nemour is French and continues to train in France, she switched to represent Algeria after a dispute with the French gymnastics federation and her club, Avoine Beaumont. Embracing her father’s Algerian heritage, she now competes under the Algerian flag.
At just 17, Nemour dazzled with her intricate and athletic bar routines, showcasing a series of releases and complex hand maneuvers. Her skills proved essential in edging out Qiu, who delivered a flawless performance with legs perfectly aligned and a precise handstand. Qiu’s impressive 15.5 score earned her a heartfelt embrace from her coaches and a roar from the crowd.
Nemour achieved a score of 15.7, tying for the highest of the competition across all events.
Although competing for Algeria, Nemour received a warm reception in Paris, celebrating her historic win with the Algerian flag draped around her.
Lee, who has faced significant health challenges including multiple kidney diseases over the past 15 months, only began focusing on the Paris Games in December. Despite limited training, she has already won three medals in Paris, contributing to the U.S. women's team gold and claiming individual bronze in the all-around behind Simone Biles and Rebeca Andrade.
Lee's six career Olympic medals now place her just one behind Shannon Miller for the second-most by an American gymnast. She has a chance to equal Miller's record in the balance beam final on Sunday.
Liu Yang of China successfully defended his Olympic title on the still rings, scoring 15.300 to narrowly defeat his teammate Zou Jingyuan. At 29, Liu becomes the third man to win multiple Olympic titles in this event, joining Russian Albert Azaryan and Japanese Akinori Nakayama.
Greece's Eleftherios Petrounias earned bronze, marking his third consecutive Games with a rings medal. He previously won gold in Rio in 2016 and bronze in Tokyo.
The narrow margin between Liu’s 15.300 and Zou’s 15.233 was determined by Liu’s superior dismount, with Zou stumbling slightly while Liu landed more cleanly.
France’s Samir Ait Said finished fourth, eight years after his dramatic injury in Rio. Ait Said, who is already aiming for the Los Angeles 2028 Games, received a mixed reaction from the crowd, with his 15.000 score met with whistles of discontent.
Later on Sunday, the men’s vault finals will feature Jake Jarman of Britain, the reigning world champion, and Carlos Yulo of the Philippines, who won his country’s second-ever gold medal in the Summer Games with a floor exercise victory on Saturday.
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