MENA Sports Wrap: Kaylia Nemour makes history with Algeria’s first world gymnastics title

It’s been a landmark week for Arab sport.

Algeria made history as gymnast Kaylia Nemour claimed her country’s first-ever world title in Jakarta, while Cristiano Ronaldo edged closer to his extraordinary 1,000-goal milestone in Saudi Arabia.

In Morocco, Hakim Ziyech watched from the stands with his mother as  his new club Wydad Casablanca played out a tense stalemate with fierce city rival Raja. 

Kaylia Nemour claims Algeria’s first world gymnastics crown

Algerian gymnast Kaylia Nemour won gold in the women’s uneven bars event at the World Championships in Jakarta, Indonesia, held on Friday.

Nemour, the Olympic gold medallist in the event, became her country’s and Africa’s first-ever world champion in the sport.

The 18-year-old placed first in the uneven bars with a massive score of 15.566, finishing way ahead of Russian Angelina Melnikova and China’s Yang Fanyuwei.

"I felt really good on the bars, with my connections," Nemour said following her performance. "Thanks to my training, I now know how to handle any difficulties that might happen during a final."

"It wasn’t easy to go last in a world final, people were expecting a lot from me, and I’m really happy to have taken that step. It was my second dream after the Olympic Games, so I’m very happy."

The Algerian gymnast performed an outstanding and physically challenging routine, which has become her trademark since she bust onto the sport’s senior scene – and even has a component of the routine named after her.

The French-born gymnast also added a silver medal to her cabinet following the women’s balance beam on Saturday, finishing behind China’s Zhang Qingying and ahead of Japan’s Aiko Sugihara.

Nemour, however, narrowly missed out on a third medal after finishing fourth in the women’s individual all-round.

Nemour is undoubtedly one of the most exciting faces in women’s gymnastics, shooting to fame last year after winning Algeria and Africa’s first-ever medal in the sport during the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. The 18-year-old was also the subject of controversy within the gymnastics world after a dispute with the French federation over her health and training, which led her to switch to representing Algeria, her father's country.

Ronaldo approaches his 1,000-goal milestone

Cristiano Ronaldo moved a step closer to reaching his 1,000 goal milestone this week, following a goal in Al-Nassr's 2-0 win against Al Hazm.

Ronaldo has set himself the extraordinary target of a thousand FIFA-recognised goals, which has never been achieved before, and after signing a new two-year contract with his Saudi club, looks set to achieve this, after already bagged seven goals in nine appearances so far this season.

ESPN has predicted that Ronaldo could hit his 1,000 goal target by the end of 2026, provided the 40-year-old suffers no injuries, and will contribute to his partisans in the debate of who is the greatest footballer.

The 2-0 win helped maintain Al-Nassr's position at the top of the Saudi Pro League, with promotion to the AFC Champions League Elite next season likely to help in Ronaldo's campaign.

Meanwhile, Al-Hilal beat Al-Ittihad in the first Saudi El Classico in Jeddah on Friday with Mamadou Doumbia, Marcos Leonardo scoring two goals in the 2-0 win.

Ziyech watches on as new club Wydad Casablanca play out tense derby stalemate with Raja

Former Chelsea and Ajax winger Hakim Ziyech watched from the stands alongside his mother as Wydad Casablanca were held to a 0-0 draw by city rivals Raja Casablanca in a tense Botola Pro derby at Stade Mohammed V.

Ziyech, who signed with Wydad last week, received a warm welcome from supporters but did not feature in the match. His presence nevertheless added extra anticipation to an already charged occasion between Morocco’s two biggest clubs.

The game itself was cagey and physical, with both sides struggling to break through organised defences. Raja created the better chances in the first half, forcing a pair of saves from Wydad’s goalkeeper, while Wydad came closest after the break when a late header skimmed the crossbar.

The result leaves Wydad unbeaten but frustrated, as the draw halts their push toward the top of the table. Raja, meanwhile, will feel relieved to have earned a point from a tight contest that lacked a cutting edge in the final third.

Ziyech, who was born in the Netherlands, is an icon for the Moroccan national side, having scored 25 times for the Atlas Lions and being considered a talismanic figure in the country's run to the World Cup semi-finals in 2022. 

His arrival marks a new chapter - one that follows a turbulent period during which the Moroccan star publicly declared his spell at Galatasaray “over” and later moved to Qatar’s Al‑Duhail SC on a free transfer.