Kaylia Nemour
Native name
  • كيليا نمور
  • ⴽⴰⵢⵍⵉⴰ ⵏⴻⵎoⵓⵔ[1]
Formercountry(2017–2021)
Birth date30 December 2006 (age 19)
Birth placeSaint-Benoît-la-Forêt, France[2]
DisciplineWAG
Natlteam2022–present
ClubAlliance Dijon Gym 21 (2025-)[3]
HeadcoachNadia Massé[3]
Show-medalsyes

Kaylia Nemour (Arabic: كيليا نمور; born 30 December 2006) is an Algerian artistic gymnast. 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 gymnast from an African delegation to win a medal at the World Championships, winning silver on the uneven bars. (Joseph Martinez, the first-ever World all-around champion (1903), was the first individual from the African continent, born in Oran, to win a medal at the World Championships). She is the two-time (2023 and 2026) African all-around champion. At the 2025 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, she won a gold medal on uneven bars, a silver medal on balance beam and came in fourth all-around. [4]

Early life

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.[5]

Gymnastics career

Early career

She began gymnastics when she was four years old.[6] Nemour made her international debut at the 2017 Tournoi International where she placed 16th in the all-around in the espoir division.[7] She competed on all four events at the Top 12 Series 2, helping her club win its matchup against Lyon.[8]

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.[9] Then at Series 4, she competed on the uneven bars and helped her club win against Haguenau.[10] At the Top 12 Final she competed on uneven bars and floor exercise, helping Avoine win the silver medal overall.[11] At the 2018 French Championships, she finished seventh all-around in the espoir division.[12]

Junior gymnastics career

2019

Nemour competed on vault, balance beam, and floor exercise at the 2019 Top 12 Finals, helping Avoine finish second.[13] 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.[14] 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.[15]

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.[16] 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.[17] She helped Avoine win its matchup against Colomiers at the Top 12 Series 2.[18]

2020–21

In February 2020, Nemour competed on all four events at the Top 12 Series 3, helping Avoine win its matchup against Combs la Ville.[19] 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.[20] 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.[21]

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.[22] She then competed at the French Championships. She only competed on the uneven bars but won the title ahead of the senior competitors.[23] Nemour had to undergo two surgeries on her knees after developing osteochondritis.[24]

Senior gymnastics career

2022

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.[25][26] 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.[27][28]

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.[29]

2023

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.[30] 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.[31]

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.[25] 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.[32][33]

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.[34][35] 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.[36]

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.[25][37] 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.[38] In the event final, she 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.[39][40]

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.[41]

2024

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.[42][43]

Despite nursing an ankle injury,[44] 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.[45] 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.[46]

2025

Nemour returned to competition at the International Gymnix competition in Montreal; she won gold in the all-around and on uneven bars and balance beam and placed seventh on floor exercise.[47] In late April, Nemour competed at the Cairo World Cup; she won gold on uneven bars and balance beam and won silver on floor exercise behind Jana Mahmoud of Egypt.[48]

In May, it was revealed that Nemour was leaving her longtime club Avoine-Beaumont.[49] Nemour later alleged that her former coaches were verbally abusive from when she was a young age and that she "cried every day", but that she and her family had been told that it was expected of high-level gymnastics training.[50] She also alleged that her coaches dismissed her when she said she was in pain and that she experienced abusive weight management.[44]

At the 2025 World Championships Nemour qualified to the all-around, uneven bars, and balance beam finals despite falling off the latter. During the all-around final, Nemour incurred a 0.3 point deduction on vault for stepping out of bounds on her landing and fell off of the balance beam. As a result, she finished fourth, 0.069 points behind bronze medalist Zhang Qingying and only 0.502 points behind gold medalist Angelina Melnikova.[51] During the uneven bars final, Nemour won the gold medal with a score of 15.566, 1.066 points ahead of silver medalist Melnikova.[52] In doing so, Nemour became the first gymnast from Africa to become a World Champion.[53] During the balance beam final, Nemour won the silver medal behind Zhang.[54]

In December, she released a book, none: L'ombre de l'or (English: The shadow of gold), about her experience in gymnastics.[50]

Eponymous skill

Nemour has an uneven bars release named after her in the Code of Points.[55] The release is commonly called the "inbar Nabieva," and she first performed it at the 2023 African Championships.[25]

ApparatusNameDescriptionDifficulty[a]Added to the Code of Points
Uneven barsNemourInbar to counter reversed laid out hecht over high barG (0.7)2023 African Championships
Uneven barsNemour IIClear pike circle backward with counter straddle - reverse hecht over high bar with ½ (180°) turn to hang in mixed L-gripE (0.5)Cottbus World Cup
  1. ^ Valid for the 2025–2028 Code of Points

Competitive history

Representing France

Competitive history of Kaylia Nemour at the espoir level[56]
YearEventTeamAAVTUBBBFX
2017Tournoi International516
Top 12 Series 2
French Elite Championships
2018Top 12 Series 3
Top 12 Series 3
Top 12 Final
French Elite Championships7
Competitive history of Kaylia Nemour at the junior level[56]
YearEventTeamAAVTUBBBFX
2019Top 12 Final
French Elite Championships5
Mediterranean Championships45
Swiss Cup Juniors
Elite Gym Massilia5
Top 12 Series 2
2020Top 12 Series 3
French Test Meet
Coupe d’Hiver
2021Top 12 Championships
French Elite Championships

Representing Algeria

Competitive history of Kaylia Nemour at the senior level[56]
YearEventTeamAAVTUBBBFX
2022Arab Championships
2023Top 12 Series 2
Top 12 Series 3
Top 12 Series 4
Top 12 Finals
African Championships
Paris World Challenge Cup
World Championships8
Arthur Gander Memorial
2024Cottbus World Cup46
Baku World Cup4
Doha World Cup
RomGym Trophy
Olympic Games5
Arthur Gander Memorial
Swiss Cup
Top 12 Series 1
Top 12 Series 2
2025Prima Prova Serie A1
International Gymnix7
Top 12 Series 4
Top 12 Finals
Cairo World Cup
Final 8 Serie A1
Tashkent World Challenge Cup
Paris World Challenge Cup
World Championships4
2026Cottbus World Cup7
Baku World Cup
Cairo World Cup
African Championships

Awards

See also

References

  1. ^ "ⴽⴰⵢⵍⵢⴰ" (in ber). Algeria Press Service. Retrieved 2026-04-15.
  2. ^ "NEMOUR Kaylia"
  3. ^ "Kaylia Nemour joins the Dijon club: a new start with Nadia Massé" (in French). Spotgym.fr. 19 May 2025.
  4. ^ https://www.olympics.com/en/news/gymnastics-2025-world-championships-full-schedule-all-results-scores-medals-complete-list
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    Hopkins, Lauren (26 February 2023). "2023 Top 12 Series 3 Results". The Gymternet. Archived 4 April 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
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  40. ^ "Athlete Inspiration: Perseverance has paid off for Algerian sensation Nemour". International Gymnastics Federation. 15 February 2024. Archived 10 March 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  41. ^ Hopkins, Lauren (2 November 2023). "2023 Arthur Gander Memorial Results". The Gymternet. Archived 29 March 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  42. ^ "Golden celebrations and Olympic qualifications: Who did what at the Baku World Cup". International Gymnastics Federation. 11 March 2024. Archived 6 April 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  43. ^ "Champions in Cottbus! All the thrills from a World Cup weekend to remember". International Gymnastics Federation. 27 February 2024. Archived 6 April 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  44. ^ "Kaylia Nemour : "Il y a des moments où j'étais à bout de forces, et où on me disait de continuer"" [Kaylia Nemour: "There were times when I was completely exhausted, and I was told to keep going."] (in French). Radiofrance. 2025-12-04. Retrieved 2025-12-13.
  45. ^ "Simone Biles claims gold as Nemour places fifth in all-around gymnastics at Paris 2024". The National. August 1, 2024. Archived 9 August 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
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  47. ^ "2025 International Gymnix Results". The Gymternet. March 10, 2025.
  48. ^ "Cairo World Cup: African gymnastics in the spotlight". International Gymnastics Federation. April 30, 2025.
  49. ^ "Kaylia Nemour quitte le club d’Avoine-Beaumont" [Kaylia Nemour leaves the Avoine-Beaumont club] (in French). SpotGym.fr. May 14, 2025.
  50. ^ "Gymnast Nemour lifts lid on 'humiliation, tears' on way to Olympic gold". France 24. 2025-12-05. Retrieved 2025-12-13.
  51. ^ Gunston, Jo (October 24, 2025). "2025 World Gymnastics Championships: fine margins of a podium finish experienced by Nemour and Seifert". International Olympic Committee
  52. ^ "Artistic Gymnastics World Championships: Gold Medal for Algerian Kaylia Nemour". AL24 News. October 24, 2025.
  53. ^ "2025 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships: Kaylia Nemour makes history as Africa's first world gymnastics champion". International Olympic Committee. October 24, 2025.
  54. ^ "Algeria’s Kaylia Nemour clinches silver on balance beam at 2025 World Gymnastics Championships". AL24 News. October 25, 2025.
  55. ^ "Women’s Artistic Gymnastics – 2025-2028 Code of Points". International Gymnastics Federation. 22 April 2024. Retrieved 2 February 2025.
  56. ^ "Kaylia Nemour". The Gymternet. 2020-04-10. Retrieved 2025-03-30.
  57. ^ "Official Journal of the Algerian Republic" (PDF) (in Arabic). joradp.dz. 2024-08-21. p. 4.