From Boulmerka to Nemour: Celebrating Algerian Women’s Olympic Victories Through the Years
This year, female Algerian athletes have been creating some major noise across the Paris Olympics.
Whether on social media or in your daily news feed, you’ll see several headings about female Algerians slaying the 2024 Paris Olympics.
With that in mind, we wanted to take a look at not just the 2024 Algerian champions but also the Algerian female athletes who conquered the Olympics over the years.
Hassiba Boulmerka – 1992 Barcelona
Even with a threat to her life, she continued to run. That is the story of former Algerian middle-distance runner Hassiba Boulmerka. She had no space to run or practice the sport because of the looming fear that radical Islamist militants would kill her.
It was all back when the 1992 Algerian civil war broke out, a time when Algeria’s Islamists were at the cusp of power.
Despite the risks, she still ran and practiced the sport she loved until she found her way to the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, where she nabbed Algeria’s first-ever Olympic gold medal, leading the way for more Algerian athletes to follow in her footsteps.
Nouria Mérah-Benida – 2000 Sydney
Hailing from a town in Kabylia called Si-Mustapha, petite Algerian middle-distance runner Nouria Mérah-Benida wasn’t always on everyone’s radar. She had already participated in the 800m in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games but did not go beyond the preliminary rounds.
Things did pick up the following year, as she ended up winning the 1500m in the Mediterranean Games at Bari, Italy.
Her shining moment, though, came during the 2000 Sydney Olympics. No one was actually expecting her to win, as the crowd favorites at the time were Olympic Russian champion Svetlana Masterkova and Romanians Violeta Szekely and Gabriela Szabo.
Add to that the fact that she was already 30 years old and nearing the end of her career. Surprising everyone, she was the one who ended up taking the gold for the 1500m.
Soraya Haddad – 2008 Bejing
We went through middle-distance runners; now, we are diverting our attention to the world of judo. Judoka champion Soraya Haddad put Algeria on the map back in 2005 after she won a bronze medal at the World Championships.
She didn’t stop there; 3 years later, during the 2008 Beijing Olympics, she made major noise after winning a bronze medal in the U52kg competition.
Kaylia Nemour – 2024 Paris
Swinging her way to history, Algerian gymnast Kaylia Nemour made a name for herself in the Olympic world. The French-born gymnast achieved the ultimate milestone by winning Algeria’s first Olympic gold medal for gymnastics through her captivating routine on the asymmetric bars.
Just like Boulmerka, the 17-year-old athlete is considered a trailblazer for her country, shining a bright path for more Algerian gymnasts to aim for the coveted Olympic gold.
Honorable Mention: Algerian Boxer Imane Khelif
At the center of a gender debate is Algerian Olympic boxer Imane Khelif. It all started after she took to the ring to fight her Italian opponent, Angela Carini, at the Paris Olympics.
Only 46 seconds into the fight, after Khelif hit her opponent, Carini quit, which led Khelif to win her opening Olympic bout. Since then, Khelif has been in the center of the public eye, with many questioning her gender.
This was all because of how she was disqualified from the 2023 world championships after failing an unspecified gender eligibility test. Her presence at the Paris Olympics has been creating quite a stir, yet so far, there is mounting evidence of the fact that her sex is female.
Recently, she just won her quarter final match and now is heading to the semi-finals. We cannot wait to see what she will do.
Through this “over the years” look, you get a glimpse at the growing power and influence of female Algerian Olympic athletes. Thus far, they have proven their potential, acting as a source of inspiration for more young women to follow in their footsteps and accomplish their Olympic dreams.
