Lee nabs bronze in uneven bars for sixth medal

PARIS -- Kaylia Nemour of Algeria delivered the country's first gold medal in gymnastics, while American Sunisa Lee picked up her third medal in Paris with a bronze in the uneven bars final Sunday

Nemour put together a thrilling routine to edge China's Qiu Qiyuan.

For Lee, it was the sixth medal of her Olympic career. She also won the bronze in uneven bars in Tokyo three years ago.

Nemour is French and still trains in France but switched to compete for Algeria following a dispute with the French gymnastics federation and Nemour's club of Avoine Beaumont, which has led the gymnast to embrace her father's Algerian nationality.

Nemour, 17, swooped from one bar to the other with a series of releases and intricate hand maneuvers that were both athletically and technically demanding. Her 15.700 barely was enough to beat Qiu, who hugged her coaches after her dismount and listened to the crowd erupt when her 15.5 was posted.

While Nemour competes under a different flag -- she draped the Algerian banner behind her after clinching her victory -- she was very much on home soil. A raucous ovation followed after she won the first-ever gymnastics medal for Algeria.

Lee has spent much of the past 15 months dealing with multiple kidney diseases that have limited her training. She didn't really get serious about Paris until December. And seven months later she's already picked up three medals after helping the Simone Biles-led U.S. women claim team gold last Tuesday. Lee followed it up two days later with a bronze in the all-around behind Biles and Rebeca Andrade of Brazil.

Lee's six medals leave her one behind Shannon Miller for the second most by an American gymnast. Lee could match Miller in the balance beam final on Sunday.

Earlier, China's Liu Yang defended his Olympic gymnastics title on still rings, posting a score of 15.300 to edge teammate Zou Jingyuan in the finals.

Liu, 29, is the third man to win multiple Olympic titles in an event that requires strength and impeccable body control, joining Albert Azaryan of Russia and Akinori Nakayama of Japan.

Eleftherios Petrounias of Greece earned the bronze. Petrounias has won a medal on rings in three straight Games. He was the champion in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro and a bronze medalist in Tokyo three years ago.

The difference between Liu's 15.300 and Zou's 15.233 came on the dismount. Zou hopped a couple of times after hitting the mat while Liu's bounce was considerably smaller.

Samir Ait Said of France finished fourth, eight years after memorably breaking his left leg on vault in Rio. Said, who already has committed to trying to make it to Los Angeles 2028, roared after his dismount in front of a highly partisan crowd inside Bercy Arena. The crowd met Said's score of 15.000 with whistles of displeasure.

The men's vault finals are later Sunday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.