Algerian Radio
Algerian artistic gymnastics reigned supreme on the African throne thanks to the remarkable brilliance of the senior national teams (men and women) across various competitions included in the program of the 19th edition of the 2026 African Championship. The championship, which concluded yesterday, Sunday, in the Cameroonian capital (Yaoundé), saw Algeria achieve a highly honorable tally of 16 medals in total (6 gold, 6 silver, and 4 bronze).
Since the beginning of the competition, Algerian gymnasts, led by Olympic champion Kaylia Nemour, imposed a powerful pace that combined technical precision and consistency. This allowed them to top the team rankings and qualify for the World Championships for the first time in history.
At the women's national team level, the Green Butterflies imposed their dominance and superiority over their competitors from South Africa and Egypt, confirming the steady development Algeria is witnessing on the African stage. This was achieved thanks to the distinguished duo of Olympic champion Kaylia Nemour and Djenna Laroui, who alone secured nine medals, including five golds. During the fourth and final day of competition, Kaylia Nemour added two more gold medals after dominating and winning the balance beam and floor exercise events.
In the balance beam competition, Kaylia Nemour secured first place with a score of 14.166, ahead of her compatriot Djenna Laroui, who claimed the silver with a total of 12.233 points. Later that same day, Nemour further bolstered her tally with another gold in the floor exercise, ranking first with a score of 13.100 points.
Kaylia Nemour... Leading the Locomotive of Algerian Gymnastics to the Summit
Beyond the technical aspects, the championship provided an ideal opportunity for Olympic champion Kaylia Nemour to showcase her strength and skills, solidifying her status as the premier star of Algerian and African gymnastics. After dominating the women's individual all-around competition with a total of 56.498 points, she secured the continental title and confirmed her position as the African benchmark in the discipline. She also excelled across various apparatus, particularly the uneven bars, where her technical mastery and performance quality set her apart from her top competitors.
For her part, Djenna Laroui, who recently joined the national team, contributed to raising the profile of Algerian gymnastics on the African stage by climbing the medal podiums, thereby strengthening the Algerian presence in the individual finals in a powerful and distinctive manner. Her tally was more than excellent, as she secured five medals, including two golds in the team general competition and the vault, in addition to a silver on the balance beam and two bronzes in the individual all-around and the uneven bars.
Beyond these individual achievements, Algeria reinforced its dominance in the team competitions, establishing itself as the most consistent and steady country in terms of results throughout this continental championship. This signals the emergence of a distinguished, well-organized group capable of competing with the best African teams.
With these dazzling results, the national team continues its positive momentum and confirms its ambitions to shine on the world stage, especially since the 2026 World Championships have now become a primary goal for the national elite.
In the junior category, the Algerian national team finished the competition in second place with four medals. This included a gold medal for Melissa Djadi in the vault, along with three bronzes in the team competitions for both the boys' and girls' junior teams. The junior boys' team consisted of Yacine Djouabi, Amoura Rayan, Lakehal Ilies Hichem, Bennila Ishak, and Hamadouche Mohamed, while the girls' team featured Melissa Djadi, Ifticen Sabrinel, Ifticen Yelena, Benramdane Shanice, and Ouail Djana Ritedj. Additionally, gymnast Ifticen Sabrinel claimed the bronze medal on the balance beam.
It is certain that this 19th edition of the African Gymnastics Championship has clearly demonstrated the gradual and continuous transformation of artistic gymnastics in Algeria. Led by a generation of talented female athletes and supported by a technical framework showing constant improvement, the Yaoundé milestone stands as another bright station in the journey of Algerian sports in general. It reaffirms gymnastics' role in establishing Algeria’s position as one of the most prominent players in this sport at the African level.
