CAIRO, April 7 (Xinhua) -- Algeria's Olympic champion Kaylia Nemour capped a brilliant campaign at the 2026 Artistic Gymnastics Apparatus World Cup in Cairo on Monday, winning the women's balance beam title a day after taking gold in the uneven bars.
Nemour's second gold confirmed her status as one of the standout performers at the Cairo meet, where top gymnasts from around the world competed across men's and women's apparatus events.
The Algerian star topped the podium in the women's balance beam final, while China's Ke Qinqin and Qiu Qiyuan took silver and bronze, respectively.
Nemour had already struck gold on Sunday in the women's uneven bars final, where China's Jiang Shuting earned silver and Slovenia's Lucija Hribar took bronze.
Nemour said she was delighted with her double-gold performance in Cairo, describing the World Cup as another important step in her build-up to future major competitions.
"I'm very happy to have won two gold medals during this World Cup. I enjoyed Cairo 2026 even more than 2025. I think there were improvements and it was more enjoyable, so I'm very happy, and it is another step toward the 2028 Olympics," she told Xinhua.
She added that each competition plays a key role in her long-term preparation and development.
"Each competition is a good step in my preparation for the World Championships. It gives me experience for later," she said. "In short, it came down to training. Of course, a lot depends on mindset on the day, and we work a lot on that."
While Nemour provided one of the clearest highlights of the women's competition, China dominated the final day overall, winning three of the five titles on offer to top the gold tally at the Cairo World Cup.
China opened its gold account on Monday through Ke Qinqin in the women's floor exercise, before adding two more titles in the men's events through Liu Yang in the parallel bars and Li Hongyan in the horizontal bar.
Among the other standout performers was Spain's Laia Font, who clinched gold on day one in the vault. She later added a bronze on the final day in the floor exercise, showcasing her versatility.
Armenia also made a strong impression on the closing day, with Artur Davtyan claiming gold in the men's vault final.
Host Egypt had its own proud moment in the men's parallel bars, where Mohamed Afify secured silver to give the home crowd a medal on the final day of competition.
Held from April 3 to 6, the Cairo World Cup brought together 128 gymnasts from 33 countries and regions at the Cairo International Stadium indoor halls complex. ■
