Kaylia Nemour’s Epic Uneven Bars Routine Beloved by Simone Biles, Fans

Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images

17-year-old Algerian gymnast Kaylia Nemour soared to a gold medal finish during Sunday’s uneven bars final after an absolutely captivating individual performance. 

Nemour scored a whopping 15.7 to win her first ever gold medal and become the first Olympic medalist in gymnastics from Africa. She defeated reigning world champion, China’s Qiu Qiyuan (15.5), who took home silver, and American gymnast Sunisa Lee, who took home bronze.

Among those watching at Bercy Arena was Simone Biles, who was no doubt in the house to cheer on her compatriot, Lee.

But even Biles couldn’t contain her excitement after seeing Nemour flawlessly stick the landing and raise both her arms in the air. Nemour immediately teared up on the mat, knowing she delivered possibly the best routine of her young Olympic career.

Biles was seen applauding Nemour's performance with a wide smile on her face. Nemour and Lee also shared a sweet embrace after Nemour’s score was announced. 

The Algerian breakout star finished fifth in the women’s all-around final earlier this week but convincingly earned her spot on the podium on Sunday with a stunning show that left fans breathless.

People were especially happy for Nemour to win while representing Algeria, instead of France. Nemour holds dual citizenship in both countries but chose to compete for Algeria this summer due to a reported dispute between the French gymnastics federation and her club, Avoine Beaumont.


Published |Modified
Kristen Wong

KRISTEN WONG

Kristen Wong is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. She has been a sports journalist since 2020. Before joining SI in November 2023, Wong covered four NFL teams as an associate editor with the FanSided NFL Network and worked as a staff writer for the brand’s flagship site. Outside of work, she has dreams of running her own sporty dive bar.