Gender row boxer Imane Khelif powers past Janjaem Suwannapheng with dominant unanimous decision victory to book her place in the Olympic final

Olympic boxer Imane Khelif is just one fight away from gold.

The Algerian, who has been at the centre of a heated controversy that has dominated the Games, defeated Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng in another dominant performance in a one-sided semi-final at Roland Garros.

The 25-year-old Khelif was banned from competing in last year’s world championships by the Russian governing body IBA after she failed a gender test just before her gold medal fight.

According to the IBA, which was stripped of the right to host boxing matches at the Games due to corruption and governance problems, she was found to have the male ‘XY’ chromosome.

However, no such tests were conducted during the Games. The eligibility criteria are based on the gender stated in the participant’s passport.

The 25-year-old Algerian boxer won the bout (pictured above) via unanimous decision

Khelif, who was two inches taller, was egged on by a raucous Algerian team and has now won 12 matches in a row. On Friday night he returns to the tennis arena, which has taken over the final stage of boxing from the North Paris Arena.

She overpowered her brave opponent, landed the heavier blows and won by a unanimous verdict, which will not silence those who think she doesn’t belong here.

The situation is likely to cause ongoing headaches for IOC leaders, who must defend Khelif’s presence in Paris on an almost daily basis.

The second boxer who failed the gender test in the same match, Taiwan’s Lin Yu-Ting, will fight her semi-final tonight (Wednesday) against Turkey’s Esra Yildiz Kahraman.