Day: August 13, 2024

ALGERIA : PARIS OLYMPICS 2024: Kaylia Nemour wins Algeria’s first gymnastics gold at Paris Olympics 2024

The 17-year-old outscored China’s Qiu Qiyuan and USA’s Sunisa Lee in the uneven bars final for Algeria’s first medal in Paris.

Algerian teenager Kaylia Nemour wept tears of joy as she became the first African athlete to win an Olympic gymnastics medal with gold on the uneven bars in Paris, outshining several big names in the competition and registering her country’s first medal at the 2024 Olympic Games.

The 17-year-old French-born athlete’s breathtaking routine wowed the crowd in at the Bercy Arena on Sunday and helped her bag the title ahead of China’s Qiu Qiyuan, with Team USA’s Sunisa Lee snatching bronze. Defending Olympic uneven bars champion Nina Derwael of Belgium finished fourth.

Nemour was under pressure after Qiyuan posted a score of 15.500 with an immaculate routine, but the rising star of gymnastics outperformed the Chinese gymnast with an exceptionally difficult routine to finish with a score of 15.700.

The Algerian’s fast-paced routine, featuring a number of complex release-and-catch manoeuvres, delighted the crowd.

As soon as she landed, Nemour was in tears, knowing she had perhaps done enough to land her country’s first-ever gold in gymnastics and first medal of the Paris Olympics.

‘Performance of my life’

Emotions ran high for the young gymnast when her triumph was confirmed and she draped herself with the Algerian flag before stepping up to soak in the applause.

“I’m so shocked, it’s the dream of all my life. I can’t believe it has happened, I’m speechless,” said Nemour.

“In qualifying I had 15.600, when I saw her 15.500 I said, I really had to fight and gave the performance of my life,” said the Algerian.

“It’s crazy. I’m honoured to have this medal after all that has happened. It’s a relief.”

Nemour has competed for Algeria since last year after a dispute with the French gymnastics federation, but found plenty of support at the Bercy Arena.

source/content: aljazeera.com (headline edited)

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Kaylia Nemour was in tears upon planting her feet after her routine [Loic Venance/AFP]

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ALGERIA / FRENCH

ALGERIA : PARIS OLYMPICS 2024 : Djamel Sedjati takes bronze in 800m final as Algeria have their best Olympics

Runner clinches third place and joins gold medallists Kelif and Nemour.

Djamel Sedjati won a bronze medal in the 800m final in Paris on Saturday to help Algeria to achieve their most successful Olympic Games.

He joins gold medal winners Kaylia Neymour and Imane Khelif on the podium at these Games.

Pre-race favourite Sedjati was beaten by Kenya’s Emmanuel Wanyonyi and world champion Marco Arop of Canada at the Stade de France on Saturday night.

Wanyonyi clocked a personal best of 1 min 41.19 secs, with Arop taking silver just one-hundredth of a second behind in a North American record. Sedjati finished in 1:41.50.

After the race, Wanyonyi, 20, said: “This race was tough for me. I felt more pressure because I knew it’s not easy. Sedjati is not easy (to beat), he’s a tough guy.”

Sedjati said: “I won the bronze medal, but I wanted the gold medal.

“It was a very fast race. I didn’t start very well, but I’m very happy with the medal after the medals from Kaylia Nemour in gymnastics and Imane Khelif in boxing.

“I’m very proud to bring home the third medal for Algeria. It’s one of the fastest Olympic finals in history, with four runners on 1:41. I already did my maximum to ensure I got on the podium. I’m happy with this bronze medal.”

Boxer Khelif defeated China’ Yang Liu to win the final of the women’s 66kg division to take gold on Friday night.

The 25-year-old, who has seen her campaign in Paris overshadowed by a gender controversy, defied her critics as she comprehensively outboxed Yang to earn a richly deserved unanimous decision in front of thousands of noisy Algerian fans at Roland Garros.

Khelif, who only started boxing eight years ago, scored again and again with her jab and backed it up with her signature straight right hand as she swept all three rounds 5-0 for the biggest win of her career.

“I’m very happy. For eight years this has been my dream and I’m now the Olympic champion and gold medallist,” said Khelif. “I’ve worked for eight years, no sleep, eight years tired. Now I’m Olympic champion.

“I want to thank all the people who have come to support me. All the people from Algeria and all the people at my base. I want to thank all the team, my coach. Thank you so much.”

Nemour produced “the performance of her life”  to become the first Algerian and African to win an Olympic gymnastics medal with gold on the uneven bars on Sunday.

The 17-year-old took the title ahead of China’s Qiu Qiyuan, with American Sunisa Lee snatching bronze with the final performance of the session. Defending champion Nina Derwael of Belgium finished fourth.

“I’m so shocked, it’s the dream of all my life. I can’t believe it has happened, I’m speechless,” said Nemour.

source/content: thenationalnews.com (headline edited)

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Algeria’s Djamel Sedjati with his bronze medal after the 800m final at Stade de France on August 10, 2024. Getty Images

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ALGERIA

MOROCCO : PARIS OLYMPICS 2024 : Morocco Celebrates Gold as Soufiane El Bakkali Triumphs in 3,000m Steeplechase

Morocco’s Mohamed Tindouflt finished in 12th place.

In a spectacular finale at the Paris 2024 Olympics, Moroccan runner Soufiane El Bakkali delivered an unsurprising and outstanding performance, securing the gold in the men’s 3,000m steeplechase.

El Bakkali crossed the finish line first with a time of 8:06:05.

El Bakkali demonstrated remarkable resilience during the race, initially starting in fifth and fourth positions.

Despite the challenging beginning, the Moroccan runner advanced through the field.

Throughout the rounds, Ethiopian runners dominated the competition.

El Bakkali however moved between third and fourth positions and also faced other challenges that saw him in seventh position, but he surged forward in the final minutes to do what he has always done for the past years.

Meanwhile, Mohamed Tindouft finished in 12th place. But the Moroccan representative did also show positive signs and was able to lead the race in the last minutes.

The second position was clinched by the US runner, Kenneth Rooks with a time of 8:06:41. Kenya’s  Kibiwot was fourth and was followed by Tunisia’s Jhinaoui.

Soufiane Bakkali’s historic podium finish has brought immense pride and celebration to Morocco, marking a significant achievement after several heartbreaking defeats and early exits by Moroccan representatives at the Paris Olympics.

El Bakkali won two gold medals at the World Athletics Championships, triumphing in both 2022 and 2023.

His long list of achievements includes a third-place finish at the 2019 African Games and a second-place finish at the 2018 African Championships.

At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, El Bakkali secured gold in his specialty event with a time of 8:08.90, finishing ahead of Ethiopia’s Girma and Kenya’s Benjamin Kigen.

source/content: moroccoworldnews.com (headline edited)

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Morocco’s champion Soufiane Bakkali

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MOROCCO

TUNISIA : PARIS OLYMPICS 2024 : Firas Katoussi beats Barkhordari to give Tunisia taekwondo gold

Firas Katoussi of Tunisia created history as he defeated Iranian fighter Mehran Barkhordari, who upset Alessio in the quarterfinals, to claim the gold medal in the 80kg category of Taekwondo at the Paris Olympics.

In a cagey first round, the taller Katoussi did a very good job at thwarting Nickolas’ attacks and won it by a judge decision. Nickolas took all the risks in the second round, but Katoussi landed a body kick with only two seconds left that sealed his victory.

Nickolas began his tournament against Farzad Mansouri — an athlete from Afghanistan who competes for the Refugee Olympic Team.

Nickolas looked pumped as he entered the venue. He shouted and made a few dance moves, then threw himself into the fight.

On the eve of his taekwondo competition at the Paris Olympics, after slumbering for two weeks on a cardboard bed at the athletes village, Nickolas made sure he would sleep like a baby.

He booked a room in a hotel near the Grand Palais, the lavish building where taekwondo events are held.

“I slept on these cardboard beds, and then last night I had one of the best sleeps of my life,” Nickolas said.

The improved bedding did not have the desired effect. The 23-year-old Nickolas looked well-rested and started his journey on a high-octane pace but lost in the semifinals of the 80-kilogram tournament. Nickolas was then defeated by world champion Simone Alessio in a bronze-medal contest.

The US team did not end the day empty-handed, though. Teammate Kristina Teachout, who was beaten in the quarterfinals of the women’s 67-kilogram division, recovered in style to win a bronze medal after going through a repechage phase.

“I’ll probably cry about it later, but I’m so grateful,” Teachout said. “This is the culmination of everything that’s important to me and all that I’ve put into my craft.”

The 18-year-old Teachout grabbed a US flag and celebrated her medal by running around the octagonal-shaped combat area, warmly embracing her coach.

Teachout had defeated Anastasija Zolotic – the first US woman to win a gold medal in the sport in Tokyo – at the US Olympic trials.

Like Nickolas, Alessio failed to reach the final. He was given a second chance through repechage and set up a meeting with Nickolas that pitted the top two ranked athletes in the category against each other.

Nickolas, who lost to Alessio in the final at last year’s world championships, harassed his rival from the start with relentless attacking moves but could not find his target. Alessio was clinical. The Italian landed two kicks in each round and that was again to once again deny Nickolas.

“He’s a monster in the division and other people have gotten him and I just haven’t clicked that code yet,” said Nickolas, who started taekwondo when he was 3. “I’ve failed. And that’s what happened and it hurts.”

Teachout started her day with a bang in the women’s 67-kilogram event by taking out world champion Magda Wiet-Henin of France. But the 18-year-old from Palm Bay, Florida, then lost a tight encounter with Viviana Marton of Hungary,

She then beat Ruth Gbagbi of Ivory Coast in repechage and fought Song Jie of China for bronze. Song was conservative but Teachout seized all of her few opportunities in the first round and continued to apply a relentless pressure to win in two rounds.

“I’ve always had the harder route in sports,” said Teachout, who was slowed by a hamstring injury in her first year. “And even getting (this bronze). It wasn’t the best, it was the hardest route to get a medal. Having to go through the motions of losing and, you know, get it back together and fight. So yeah, it’s been an emotional journey.”

Agencies

source/content: gulftoday.ae (headline edited)

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Tunisia’s Firas Katoussi (centre) celebrates with his coaches after winning the gold medal in the men’s 80kg Taekwondo final match. Associated Press

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TUNISIA