Kaylia Nemour Algeria secured the country’s first gold medal in gymnastics with an exhilarating routine in the uneven bars final on Sunday, narrowly defeating China’s Qiu Qiyuan. Suni Lee of the U.S. claimed her third medal in Paris and sixth of her Olympic career.
With a score of 59.131, Biles edged out Brazilian competitor Rebecca Andrade, who will keep her all-around silver from Tokyo (57.932), and Tokyo all-around champion Suni Lee, who secured the bronze (56.465). This is the first time two Olympic all-around champions have shared the podium.
Suni Lee conveyed her thankfulness for being in Paris during a post-event interview.
Suni Lee expressed her sincere gratitude for the opportunity to compete at the 2024 Olympics in Paris in a touching post-event interview. She expressed real gratitude for the event, reflecting on the hard work and devotion that had gotten her to this point. Suni emphasized how unique it was to represent her country on such a renowned stage, and she thanked her coaches, colleagues, and supporters for their persistent support. Her statements were full of humility and pride, embracing the pleasure of being a part of the Olympic adventure and the importance of participating in one of the world’s most iconic cities.
Although Nemour is French and continues to train in France, she chose to compete for Algeria following a dispute with the French gymnastics federation and her club, Avoine Beaumont. This decision led her to embrace her father’s Algerian heritage. The 17-year-old demonstrated remarkable skill on the bars, performing a series of releases and complex hand maneuvers that were both physically and technically challenging.
Nemour utilized all her talents to surpass Qiu, who also delivered an outstanding performance. Qiu’s legs remained perfectly together throughout her routine, and her handstand was so precise it looked like a ruler.
The crowd erupted when her score of 15.5 was announced, and she hugged her coaches after dismounting. Nemour scored 15.7, matching the highest score of the meet in any event. Despite competing for Algeria, Nemour felt at home, draping the Algerian flag behind her after her victory and receiving enthusiastic applause for winning Algeria’s first-ever gymnastics medal.
In the past 15 months, Lee has been contending with multiple kidney diseases that have limited her training. She didn’t begin to seriously prepare for the Paris Olympics until December. Now, seven months later, she has already secured three medals, including team gold with Simone Biles and the U.S. women last Tuesday and a bronze in the all-around two days later, finishing behind Biles and Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade.
With six Olympic medals, Lee is just one short of Shannon Miller for the second-most by an American gymnast. She has the opportunity to match Miller’s record in the balance beam final on Sunday. Liu Yang of China successfully defended his Olympic still rings title with a score of 15.300, narrowly beating teammate Zou Jingyuan in the final.
At 29, Liu joins Albert Azaryan of Russia and Akinori Nakayama of Japan as the third man to secure multiple Olympic titles in this event. Greece’s Eleftherios Petrounias claimed bronze, marking his third consecutive Olympic medal on rings. He was the 2016 champion in Rio and took bronze in Tokyo three years ago.
Liu’s edge over Zou, who scored 15.233, was mainly due to Liu’s more controlled dismount. Zou had a few hops upon landing, whereas Liu’s landing was notably steadier. France’s Samir Ait Said finished fourth, eight years after his dramatic vault injury in Rio. Aiming for the 2028 Los Angeles Games, Said celebrated enthusiastically after his performance, though his score of 15.000 was met with whistles from the crowd.
The men’s vault finals are scheduled for later Sunday. Britain’s Jake Jarman, the reigning world champion, will compete in the vault finals, where he will face Carlos Yulo of the Philippines, who won his country’s second-ever gold medal at the Summer Games with a floor exercise victory on Saturday.
Suni Lee’s bronze medal on uneven bars at the 2024 Paris Games demonstrates her extraordinary talent and determination. Her performance not only contributes to her burgeoning legacy, but it also serves as an inspiration to gymnasts around the world. Suni continues to advance in her career, serving as a shining example of grace and perfection in the gymnastics world.
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