The Olympics’ most controversial female boxer today stood her ground amid a vicious “hate campaign” and took another major step toward her gold medal dream.
25-year-old Imane Khelif defeated 23-year-old Hungarian Anna Luca Hamori after allegations surfaced in the past 48 hours since her first fight in Paris that she was actually a man.
She managed to concentrate on boxing and showed her determination to face her opponents by demonstrating her class and strength in the ring by winning her second fight in Paris.
But after a thrilling match against the Hungarian, combined with a week of pressure and heated online discussions, the boxer burst into tears and was embraced by her team.
She maintained an iron composure, even under the most extraordinary attention an athlete would receive in Paris. She is likely to be greeted by the Olympic leaders who supported her during the scandal.
Imane Khelif, 25, burst into tears as she was hugged by her team today after her victory in the women’s boxing quarter-finals
She has managed to maintain a steely calm even under enormous pressure and concentration
Imane Khelif stood her ground today amid a vicious ‘hate campaign’ and took another big step towards her dream of a gold medal
She defeated 23-year-old Hungarian Anna Luca Hamori after being the focus of attention over the past 48 hours since her first fight in Paris over claims she was a man.
When Khelif entered the ring, she was greeted with loud cheers and celebrated in the style of Ronaldo, lifting her knees and then standing with her arms up (pictured: the Bozes during the fight)
Imane Khelif (right) and Luca Anna Hamori during the women’s 66kg quarterfinal at the North Paris Arena today
At one point the couple fell to the ground while on the mat
Khelif and Hamori look at the referee as they prepare to recover from their fall
Imane Khelif, 25, on the sidelines at today’s highly anticipated boxing match
When Khelif first entered the ring, she was greeted with loud cheers and celebrated her victory in the style of Ronaldo, stiffening her knees and then jumping back up with her arms in the air.
She and her Hungarian opponent touched each other’s gloves at the start as a sporting gesture.
But questions about her participation will persist, despite claims that much of the opposition to her is fuelled by online hate.
Khelif, who was born a girl and was described today by Olympic president Thomas Bach as “a woman…a woman…a woman”, was attacked by the International Boxing Federation at last year’s world championships in New Delhi for failing a gender eligibility test.
But she remained stubborn and after defeating her first opponent, Italian Angela Carini entered the ring with the full support of the Italian and Algerian Boxing Federations, who brought her to France.
The fuss surrounding her grew even bigger when, in the run-up to the match, the Hungarian posted a photo of a “beautiful woman and a beast” on social media and announced that she would not worry whether she would fight a man or a woman in her next fight.
But it only served to heighten the focus on Khelif’s gender, with Olympic officials responding fiercely to the online “hate speech” directed at her.
Khelif was one of two boxers whose gender was questioned at the Olympics. The second was Lin Yu-Ting of Taipei, who defeated 22-year-old Sitora Turdibekova of Uzbekistan by a unanimous decision in her favor.
The Italian woman panicked after the cross from Algerian Imane Khelif (in red)
On Thursday, distraught Italian Angela Carini gave up her match against Algerian Imane Khelif
25-year-old Angela Carini from Italy fell to her knees crying after losing the fight
Khelif (right in photo) spoke candidly about her challenging childhood in an interview before the Games
Genetic tests reportedly taken in 2023 have shown that 25-year-old Khelif has male XY chromosomes in her DNA. But she is not transgender
Hamori is part of the Hungarian national team and was national champion in Hungary
Imane Khelif will fight Hungarian Anna Luca Hamori in the next round of the Olympic Games
Olympic officials say the case is a “minefield” and no forensic and irrefutable scientific evidence has been presented to prove that either athlete was not a woman.
IOC President Bach said: ‘We are talking about women’s boxing. We have two boxers who were born as women, who were raised as women, who have a passport as women and who have fought as women for many years. This is the clear definition of a woman.’
But Khelif’s team were not happy with the ‘unfounded’ accusations against the boxer. When she eventually returns to Algeria she will be a star, as she defeated her first opponent in just 46 seconds on Thursday in a sensational boxing match.
According to an Algerian businessman living in Paris, she will receive a stormy welcome when she returns to Tiaret with offers for TV series and films.
“She is a national hero in her own country. The public there feels sorry for her because of the way she was treated. She was not famous, but now she is a star.”
The Algerian Olympic and Sports Committee has filed an official complaint with the IOC to protest the online harassment of Khelif, which constitutes “a serious violation of sports ethics and the Olympic Charter by one of the participants in the boxing tournament at the Paris Olympic Games,” according to a statement on the committee’s Facebook page.
The statement did not name the boxer who allegedly posted derogatory comments about the Algerian, but warned that the IOC “has issued a final warning to remove any post related to our heroine Iman Khalif.”
It added: ‘We reserve the right to prosecute anyone who participated in the horrific campaign against our heroine Imane Khelif.’