It was lined as much as be the “good” second – the type of second that often is so good it solely occurs within the motion pictures: French-born Kaylia Nemour turns into age-eligible for her first Olympics the identical quad that France is internet hosting the Video games and brings house the gold at house.
After which a twist: Nemour did win gold on uneven bars – however for Algeria.
The chance for an athlete or staff to win a medal of their house nation is uncommon and has occurred few occasions in gymnastics historical past, like when Mary Lou Retton grew to become the primary American lady to win a person Olympic gold medal in gymnastics at LA 1984, or when the Chinese language girls received their first Olympic staff gold through the Beijing Video games.
That second wasn’t to be for Nemour and France although. Nemour now competes for Algeria after a fallout with the French Gymnastics Federation.
One nation turned its again, one other opened its arms
Earlier than she was making historical past for Algeria, Nemour was born in Saint-Benoit-la-Foret, France, to a French mom and Algerian father (her paternal grandparents had been from Algeria, making her and her father twin residents of the 2 nations).
Nemour rose by way of the junior elite ranks whereas competing for France. She grew to become the French junior nationwide champion for her age division in 2019 and later helped France end second as a staff on the junior Swiss Cup later that yr.
Nemour’s prospects modified when she underwent two surgical procedures in her knees for osteochondritis in 2021. She was cleared by her physician to return to competitors in 2022, however the French nationwide staff physician was unwilling to clear Nemour, making her unable to compete for France despite the fact that she was age-eligible for senior elite. The French nationwide staff additionally wished Nemour to go away her membership fitness center to coach with the remainder of the staff in Paris, however Nemour didn’t wish to. Nemour’s mom, Stephanie Nemour, maintains that the French nationwide staff physician by no means even “examined” her daughter.
In consequence, Nemour opted to change her nationality to signify Algeria, however the French Gymnastics Federation (FFG) blocked her request to change regardless of the Worldwide Gymnastics Federation (FIG) approving the change.
The FFG blocking the request meant that Nemour could be unable to compete for Algeria in worldwide competitors till July 2023 – a yr after the FIG permitted the change. She would then miss the African Championships, an occasion she wanted to compete at to qualify for the World Championships. Had she missed the African Championships and World Championships, she would have been unable to qualify for the Olympic Video games by way of the World Championships and would have needed to qualify by way of another route.
France modified their stance following a report from French journalist Thierry Vildary that uncovered abuse from the FFG towards a number of different athletes. The report from Vildary and an internet petition in help of Nemour led to the FFG permitting Nemour to signify Algeria and compete on the African Championships two weeks later. She received the all-around competitors at African Championships, qualifying her to the World Championships. At Worlds, she certified to the Olympic Video games by putting thirteenth within the all-around competitors throughout qualification.
Nemour herself holds blended emotions in regards to the Olympic Video games going down in Paris.
“Sure, I’m going to have a Video games at house, however [I feel] torn inside. Once I take into consideration Paris 2024, I say to myself, it’s house, however not fairly house,” Nemour informed TSA.
Nemour nonetheless trains with Avoine Beaumont in France, however she is now supported by Algeria. Whereas Nemour is Algerian, she had by no means been to the nation rising up.
Regardless of the turmoil she’s overcome, Nemour headed into the Olympic Video games with momentum after profitable uneven bars gold in any respect three World Cup occasions she competed at this yr. She has additionally picked up World Cup medals on stability beam and ground train – a testomony to her budding energy as an all-arounder.
Gold for Nemour and nothing for France
For the French nationwide staff, it is a missed alternative that can be talked about for years to come back.
Internet hosting their first Olympic Video games since 1924, France got here into this Olympic Video games with excessive hopes to win medals within the girls’s creative gymnastics occasions. France was coming off a bronze medal end on the 2023 World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium – their first medal in a staff ultimate on the world championships since 1950. They had been in competition to win one other medal in Paris however completed outdoors of the highest eight in qualifying after a number of of their prime gymnasts fell, dashing hopes of one other staff medal or any particular person medals.
France has had restricted success traditionally in girls’s gymnastics. The nation holds one gold medal from both the world championships or Olympic Video games. It belongs to Emilie Le Pennec, who received the uneven bars gold in Athens on the 2004 Olympic Video games. France’s strongest particular person contender in Paris was Melanie de Jesus dos Santos, however she didn’t qualify for particular person finals after a devastating qualifying meet that noticed her make main errors on three of 4 occasions.
It’s a sport of what ifs, nevertheless it’s arduous to not assume that the result could be completely different if the federation hadn’t ostracized Nemour.
Nemour competed a 7.2 issue routine within the uneven bars ultimate – tied for the toughest routine on this planet with Olympic silver medalist Qiu Qiyuan of China.
She competes jarringly troublesome launch expertise together with different extremely difficult releases and pirouettes, but makes the entire expertise seem simple along with her easy swing and move.
The 17-year-old opened up her routine with an inbar 1/1 to Nemour (an inbar laid-out Tkachev that bears her title and carries a “G” issue worth). She related the Nemour to a Pak salto, Komova II, stalder 1/1, Ricna 1/2, Ezhova, and Chow half. To attach two and even three launch strikes and pirouettes is troublesome for a lot of high-level gymnasts. Nemour related eight such expertise in a row and completed with a toe 1/1 to double structure – a dismount that almost all gymnasts can’t do in connection, not to mention with out a number of giants previous it.
The lead to Paris? A 15.700.
Nemour grew to become Algeria’s – and Africa’s – first Olympic medalist in gymnastics along with her win, including to the historical past she’s already made as the primary Algerian gymnast and first gymnast from Africa to win a medal on the world championships.
