PARIS (AP) — French-Algerian gymnast Kaylia Nemour may be a dual national who trains in France, but her Olympic gold medal is singularly Algerian.
In an interview with SNTV, a sports video partner of The Associated Press, Nemour and her coach credited Algeria for her performance on the uneven bars, for which she won a gold medal on Sunday.
The gymnast, who competed for France until 2021, said she was proud to be both Algeria and Africa’s first Olympic gold medalist in gymnastics.
“It’s really crazy,” she said in the interview.
Nemour draped herself in Algeria’s green and white flag and paraded around Bercy Arena after her win. She was embraced by the crowd after flipping and twisting to a score of 15.7 in the uneven bars, tied for the highest of the meet in any event.
Nemour has said she feels both French and Algerian. But she began competing for Algeria three years ago after a dispute between the French gymnastics federation and her club, Avoine-Beaumont, where she continues to train in western France. She has been widely embraced by Algerians, on social media, on public television and in newspapers. Algeria’s President Abdelmadjid Tebboune called her to congratulate her on her performance.
Questions about nationality are of little concern to her and her gymnastics, Nemour said.
“I don’t really think about it,” said Nemour, whose father is of Algerian descent. “I won this medal for myself and for Algeria. I represent Algeria. France is behind me. I turned the page.”
Nemour’s coach, Marc Tcherlinko, said the medal belonged to the Algerian Federation, which helped ensure the gymnast had the opportunities to travel for competition and best prepare for the Olympic Games.
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Tarek Boussaha contributed reporting. Metz reported from Rabat, Morocco. Habbari and Boussaha are SNTV videojournalists.
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