Marine Boyer

The last major competition before world championships will take place this weekend, as the world challenge cup series wraps up with one of its most impressive fields this season with athletes heading to Paris for some last-minute experience.

As the host nation, France is going all out with its roster, which includes worlds team members Melanie De Jesus Dos Santos, Coline Devillard, Marine Boyer, and this year’s national all-around champion Djenna Laroui on the women’s side, while Lorette Charpy, Morgane Osyssek, and Célia Serber are set to perform exhibition or “wild card” routines. The men’s list includes worlds competitors Benjamin Osberger, Leo Saladino, and Jim Zona, along with worlds alternate Cameron-Lie Bernard and specialists Cyril Tommasone and Samir Aït Saïd, while the wild card athletes include worlds team members Kevin Carvalho and Lucas Desanges along with Melwin Touchais.

Also notably on the roster is former French junior standout Kaylia Nemour, who now represents Algeria after finally receiving permission from the French federation to process her change of nationality request just 10 days before the African Championships, which served as her qualifying competition for worlds. Nemour expressed her desire to leave the French program when the federation wouldn’t allow her to train at her club, and though the federation at first refused to release her, public outrage helped push things along, and she’s now looking like one of the top contenders for an individual Olympic berth, which she’s hoping to obtain either through the all-around or her standout event, uneven bars, in Antwerp.

A number of additional athletes aiming for Olympic spots either as individuals or with their teams are also on the list to compete in Paris, with the city’s close proximity to the worlds host city a great way for them to acclimate to the time zone, while those who aren’t expected to compete at worlds will enjoy an exciting competitive experience and the opportunity to win some prize money in the setting of next summer’s Olympic Games. In addition to the winners at this competition specifically, as the final meet in the series, the outcome in Paris will also determine the overall world challenge cup title winners for the 2023 season, which began in May and spanned six competitions.

The competition begins with all qualifications held on Saturday, September 16, with all apparatus finals held the following day, which you can watch on MaGymTV beginning at 12:30 pm local time. A complete list of competitors is available below.

Article by Lauren Hopkins