ALGIERS — Gymnast Kaylia Nemour, boxer Imane Khelif, and middle-distance runner Djamel Sedjati, medalists at the 2024 Paris Olympics, have boosted Algeria’s Olympic medal tally to 20 medals (7 gold, 4 silver and 9 bronze).

Algeria’s 15th participation in the Olympic event marked its triumphant return to the international stage, thanks to the two gold distinctions won by gymnast Kaylia Nemour (17 years old) on the uneven bars and boxer Imane Khelif (66 kg), in addition to the bronze secured by Djamel Sedjati in the 800 m.

Thanks to Nemour, gymnastics becomes the fourth medal-providing discipline for Algeria at the Olympics, after athletics (4 gold, 3 silver, 3 bronze), boxing (2 gold, 5 bronze), and judo (2 medals).

Over the course of 15 Summer Olympic participations, beginning with the 1964 Games in Japan, Algeria won its first Olympic medals at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, with two bronze medals won by boxers Mohamed Zaoui (71-75kg) and the late Mustapha Moussa (75-81 kg).

The greatest merit, however, goes to Hassiba Boulmerka, the first Algerian athlete to have the national anthem “Kassaman” played at the world’s largest sporting event, during the 1500 m final at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

Also in Barcelona, Algeria secured another Olympic medal (bronze) through boxing, thanks to the late Hocine Soltani, who would go on to claim gold four years later at the Atlanta Games in the United States.

The 1500 m race remains a favorite event for Algerian athletes. This was highlighted when Nouria Merah-Benida pulled off one of the biggest surprises of the 2000 Sydney Olympics, claiming gold in this big athletics event, imitated 12 years later by Taoufik Makhloufi at the 2012 London Olympics.

Judo stands as Algeria’s 3rd most successful Olympic discipline, thanks to Amar Benikhlef’s silver (-90 kg) and Soraya Haddad’s bronze (-52 kg), the only medalists from the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The Algerian sport in the Olympic Games-2024 (July 26 - August 11) raised its medal tally in 15 participations to 20 medals (7 golds - 4 silvers - 9 bronzes), after securing during the Paris event three medals: the two golds of gymnast Kaylia Nemour and boxer Imane Khelif (the first two medals for Algeria in gymnastics and women’s boxing) and the bronze of runner Djamel Sedjati (800 m).