PARIS: Kaylia Nemour of Algeria delivered the country’s first gold medal in gymnastics, putting together a thrilling routine in the uneven bars final on Sunday to edge Qiu Qiyuan of China.
Sunisa Lee of the US picked up her third medal in Paris and sixth of her Olympic career by grabbing bronze, exactly where she finished in Tokyo three years ago.
Nemour is French and still trains in France but switched to compete for Algeria following a dispute with the French gymnastics federation and Nemour’s club of Avoine Beaumont, which has led the gymnast to embrace her father’s Algerian nationality.
The 17-year-old is a wonder on bars, swooping from one to the other with a series of releases and intricate hand maneuvers that are both athletically and technically demanding.
Nemour needed to rely on all those skills to edge Qiu, who put on a clinic during her set. Her legs were practically magnetized together during her routine and she was so straight on her handstand she looked like a ruler. Qiu hugged her coaches after her dismount and the crowd erupted when her 15.5 was posted.
Nemour scored 15.700.
While Nemour competes under a different flag — she draped the Algerian banner behind her after clinching her victory — she was very much on home soil. A raucous ovation followed after she won the first-ever gymnastics medal for Algeria.
Lee has spent much of the last 15 months dealing with multiple kidney diseases that have limited her training. She didn’t really get serious about Paris until December. And seven months later she’s already picked up three medals after helping the Simone Biles-led US women claim team gold last Tuesday. Lee followed it up two days later with a bronze in the all-around behind Biles and Rebeca Andrade of Brazil.
Lee’s six medals leave her one behind Shannon Miller for the second most by an American gymnast. Lee could match Miller in the balance beam final on Sunday.
Liu grabs gold again
Liu Yang of China defended his Olympic gymnastics title on still rings, posting a score of 15.300 to edge teammate Zou Jingyuan in the finals.
The 29-year-old Liu is the third man to win multiple Olympic titles in an event that requires strength and impeccable body control, joining Albert Azaryan of Russia and Akinori Nakayama of Japan.
Eleftherios Petrounias of Greece earned the bronze. Petrounias has won a medal on rings in three straight Games. He was the champion in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro and a bronze medalist in Tokyo three years ago.
The difference between Liu’s 15.300 and Zou’s 15.233 came on the dismount. Zou hopped a couple of times after hitting the mat while Liu’s bounce was considerably smaller.
Samir Ait Said of France finished fourth, eight years after memorably breaking his left leg on vault in Rio. Said, who already has committed to trying to make it to Los Angeles 2028, roared after his dismount in front of a highly partisan crowd inside Bercy Arena. The crowd met Said’s score of 15.000 with whistles of displeasure.
The men’s vault finals are later Sunday.
Jake Jarman of Britain is the reigning world champion in a men’s vault field that includes Carlos Yulo of the Philippines, who won the second-ever gold medal at the Summer Games for his country when he claimed the floor exercise title on Saturday.
Kaylia Nemour of Algeria by way of France soars to gold in thrilling uneven bars final
https://arab.news/wdqfa
Kaylia Nemour of Algeria by way of France soars to gold in thrilling uneven bars final
- Nemour is French and still trains in France but switched to compete for Algeria following a dispute with the French gymnastics federation
‘Riyadh is our showcase event,’ says LIV CEO O’Neil as 2026 season tees off
RIYADH: The 2026 LIV Golf season teed off under the lights at Riyadh Golf Club on Wednesday, with stars including Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Dustin Johnson getting proceedings underway in the Saudi capital.
Thomas Detry and Peter Uihlein lead the individual leaderboard after 18 holes, both carding seven-under-par 65s, while Joaquin Niemann’s Torque GC tops the team standings at 15 under. Sebastian Munoz paced Torque GC with a five-under round, though he was unable to match his opening performance from last year, when he shot eight under.
Arab News spoke to LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil on the opening day of the league’s fifth season.
“The start of the season is a bit like that first day of school when you were a little kid,” O’Neil said. “It was wonderful to be out on the course and on the range, seeing the players. A lot of us haven’t seen each other for quite some time, so it was like the first day of school meets a family reunion.”
O’Neil also highlighted the significance of opening the season in Riyadh.
“Riyadh is our showcase event, and I couldn’t imagine a more fitting place to open,” he said. “There’s something special about LIV at night — it’s something you can’t really describe. You actually have to come and see it.”
LIV Golf has seen significant growth since its debut in 2022, despite pre-season concerns after Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed confirmed they would not return for the 2026 campaign. O’Neil said the league’s broader mission remains unchanged.
“We’re so mission driven. I believe if you stick to your values, good things happen,” he said. “All these incredible stars — DeChambeau, Rahm, Mickelson, Cam Smith, DJ — they wake up every day thinking, how can I grow the game of golf overall?”
That influence is now being felt by LIV’s younger players.
“We’re excited to see all these generations coming together and growing the game,” O’Neil added.
He pointed to Michael La Sasso, the league’s youngest player, as an example.
“Think about it from his parents’ perspective,” O’Neil said. “Is this a good place for him, to be mentored by Phil Mickelson? To learn how to practice, how to travel, how to eat, sleep and take care of your body? How to get through jet lag?”
Travel remains a defining feature of LIV’s global model.
“This notion of playing on five continents is something I couldn’t imagine years ago,” O’Neil said.
Heading into Round 1, a major talking point was the Official World Golf Ranking’s decision to award points to players finishing in the top 10 at LIV events. While LIV welcomed the move, it expressed disappointment that points were limited to only the top 10.
Smash GC captain Talor Gooch addressed the issue in his post-round press conference.
“I don’t think the right thing was done, which is what we’ve experienced at LIV for the last four or five seasons,” Gooch said. “Anyone who says the fair thing was done — I don’t think they’re in tune with reality.”
Despite the debate, Gooch praised the atmosphere in Riyadh.
“It’s amazing being here in Saudi Arabia, playing at night. Then going to Australia and playing in the day — it’s pretty special,” he said.
Australian youngster Elvis Smylie, who impressed on his LIV Golf debut, also spoke positively about his first visit to the Kingdom ahead of next week’s LIV Golf Adelaide.
“I really enjoyed my first trip to Saudi Arabia,” Smylie said. “Adjusting my body clock was a challenge, but it was great to be here. It was also nice to meet His Excellency Yasir Al-Rumayyan out there.”
Round 2 tees off on Thursday with a shotgun start at 6:05pm.
