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Explore the career of precociously talented teenage gymnast Kaylia Nemour, including her historic Olympic Games success, beating Simone Biles and why she ditched France for Algeria.
Who is Kaylia Nemour?
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Kaylia Nemour is a French-Algerian artistic gymnast who made history at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She won the gold medal on the uneven bars, becoming the first gymnast from any African nation to achieve this feat.
Nemour previously won silver on the uneven bars at the 2023 World Championships, also a historic first for an African gymnast.
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Kaylia Nemour Age
Kaylia Nemour was born on December 30, 2006. She is 17 years old as of October 2024.
Kaylia Nemour Height
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Although Kaylia Nemour's exact height is not readily available in public information or official sources, unofficial sources state that the gymnast is 5 feet and five inches. In metres, The French-Algerian is 1.66m tall.
Where was Kaylia Nemour born?
Kaylia Nemour was born in Saint-Benoit-la-Foret, France. Even though she was born and raised in France, she competes internationally for Algeria, her father's homeland.
When did Kaylia Nemour start Gymnastics?
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Kaylia Nemour's gymnastics journey began at 4 when her mother enrolled her and her older sister in Avoine-Beaumont, a renowned gymnastics club.
By age 11, she was already competing internationally, making her debut at the 2017 Tournoi International in November of the same year.
Why does Kaylia Nemour compete for Algeria?
Kaylia Nemour competed for France until 2021 before switching to Algeria, her father’s homeland, in July 2022, although official confirmation did not come until the following year after the French Gymnastics Federation blocked the move.
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Her decision to switch international allegiance stemmed from disagreements between Nemour and her club — Avoine-Beaumont — and the French Gymnastics Federation, reportedly regarding a knee injury and her ability to compete and wanting her to train in Paris, away from the club’s Tours base.
Her father's Algerian heritage offered the teenage gymnast a fresh start, and she has since recorded historic success at the world championships in 2023 and the Olympic Games in 2024.
“I won this medal for myself and for Algeria,” said Nemour after claiming Olympic gold. "I represent Algeria. France is behind me. I turned the page.”
Where does Kaylia Nemour train?
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Despite her international switch, Kaylia Nemour continues to train in France at Avoine-Beaumont, an all-women artistic gymnastics training club in Avoine, Indre-et-Loire, where she has practised since she was little.
Established in 1990, it offers a range of programs for gymnasts of all ages and levels, from recreational to competitive and is equipped with facilities to support gymnast training and development.
Apart from Nemour, Avoine-Beaumont Gymnastique has produced several successful gymnasts who have competed at national and international levels, including Carolann Heduit, Elena Colas, Alison Lepin and Youna Defournet.
The Top 12 competition, which features the best gymnastics clubs in France, was won by Avoine-Beaumont for three straight years: 2021, 2022, and 2023, thus demonstrating their dominance in French gymnastics.
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Kaylia Nemour Coach
Kaylia Nemour is coached by Marc and Gina Chirilcenco, the couple who supervise the Avoine-Beaumont, as of October 2024.
Gina recalled the teenager's persistence in an interview with AL24 News: "She was a little clumsy, a little awkward. She came to take my hand, to show me that she wanted to do high-level (gymnastics).”
In the same February 2024 interview, her husband praised Nemour's continued willingness to learn: "She had easy motor skills, acrobatic skills and spatial awareness, and learned easily.”
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Kaylia Nemour Bars
The uneven bars (also known as asymmetric bars) are where Kaylia Nemour truly shines in gymnastics.
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Nemour displays exceptional technique and execution on the bars, underscored by her fluid and precise routines, demonstrating a high level of difficulty.
She combines her technical skills with artistry and grace, making her routines captivating to watch. Neymour has had competitive success on the uneven bars, winning silver at the 2023 World Championships and notching gold at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
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Kaylia Nemour Olympics
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Kaylia Nemour's performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics was a historic triumph, marking a breakthrough for Algerian and African gymnastics.
Nemour won the gold medal in the uneven bars, becoming the first gymnast from any African nation to achieve this feat.
She also qualified for the all-around final, finishing in a commendable 5th place. This was the highest placement for an African gymnast in an Olympic all-around final.
Kaylia Nemour vs Simone Biles
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Comparing Kaylia Nemour and Simone Biles seems bizarre, given that the Algerian is just starting her career while Biles is arguably the greatest gymnast of all time.
Nevertheless, Nemour appreciated Biles' words of encouragement during the all-around event at the Paris Olympics, where the Algerian placed fifth, the highest finish recorded by an African.
“Before each move, she'd say to me 'You can do it, let's go!’ She'd encourage me during and as soon as I'd finished, she'd give me a check and say 'good job’,” remarked the teenager in August 2024.
Although Nemour outshone the American in the uneven bars at the Paris 2024 Olympics, with the seven-time Olympic gold medallist (11 overall) failing to qualify for the event’s final, it is too early to say if the teenager will reach Biles' level of dominance
Kaylia Nemour Medals
Olympic Games
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2024 Paris
Gold (Uneven bars)
World Championships
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2023 Antwerp
Silver (Uneven bars)
FIG World Cup
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2024 Cottbus
Gold (Uneven bars)
2024 Baku
Gold (Uneven bars), Bronze (Floor Exercise)
2024 Doha
Gold (Uneven bars, Floor Exercise), Silver (Balance Beam)
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African Championships
2023 Pretoria
Gold (All-around), Bronze (Team)
Kaylia Nemour Parents
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Kaylia Nemour's parents are Stephanie Nemour and Jamel Nemour, and both have played a significant role in her gymnastic career.
Her mother enrolled her Avoine-Beaumont at the age of four, and she was anticipated to compete for France internationally. However, Kaylia has represented her father's birth country after disagreements with the French Gymnastics Federation.
Kaylia Nemour Net Worth
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Kaylia Nemour's net worth is estimated to be between $1 million and $5 million.
However, information about her wealth is not publicly available as she is still a young athlete at the beginning of her senior career.
Her recent Olympic success should lead to increased opportunities for sponsorships and other income sources, which could significantly boost her net worth in the future.
Kaylia Nemour Social Media
Kaylia Nemour is active on Instagram and X, formerly Twitter, albeit more on the former.
The Algerian Olympic gold medallist has 356,000 followers on Instagram and a following of 5,960 on X.
Nemour can be followed on the photo and video-sharing service @kaylianemour and @Kaylianemour on X.
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