World Gymnastics Championships: Algeria's Kaylia Nemour leads qualifications in Rotterdam

Kaylia Nemour made a strong impression right from the start at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands. At the end of her qualification round, the 19-year-old Algerian held the provisional first place on the uneven bars and in the all-around, reported the Algerian website TSA on October 19, 2026.

The breakdown of her scores speaks to the scale of the work accomplished: 14.933 on the uneven bars, her signature apparatus, but also 14.133 on the balance beam and 14.033 on the vault, for a total of 55.999 points in the all-around. In other words, the queen of the bars is no longer just the queen of the bars.

This is precisely what she was aiming for. Olympic champion on the uneven bars in Paris in 2024 and world champion on the same apparatus in Jakarta in 2025, Nemour had set herself the goal of no longer relying on a single apparatus. The figures from Rotterdam suggest that the gamble is paying off.

Two finals secured, a third pending

According to La Nouvelle République, cited on October 19 by titrespresse.com, the Algerian gymnast has already secured two finals, with a third yet to be confirmed. These rankings remain provisional: the World Championship qualifications were spread from October 17 to 19, and not all groups had competed yet.

The schedule for the remainder is known: the team finals will be held on October 20 and 21, the all-around finals on October 22 and 23, and the apparatus finals on October 24 and 25. These championships also count toward the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, with the top three teams of each gender securing their qualification.

One gymnast, one continent

Algeria is competing in Rotterdam with six gymnasts. But it is Nemour who carries, almost single-handedly, the ambition of a discipline where Africa remains rare at the highest global level: since Paris 2024, she has been the first African gymnast to win an Olympic title.

Her horizon is now Los Angeles 2028, where she aims to both defend her title on the uneven bars and win medals on the other apparatus. Between now and then, Rotterdam will show whether the margin she just displayed in the qualifications will translate into medals.