Boxer Imane Khelif to fight for Olympic gold medal on Friday after putting aside questions about her gender and clearly winning her semi-final against Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng in Paris.
The welterweight The Algerian is one of two boxers competing in Paris who were disqualified from last year’s International Boxing Association (IBA) World Championships after testing found they “did not meet the eligibility criteria.”
Amid fervent support under the pitch Philippe Chatrierthe French tennis venue converted for boxing finals, Khelif dominated his opponent and won by unanimous decision.
She secured her place in her first Olympic final, having been eliminated in the quarter-finals in Tokyo three years ago.
He will fight on Friday against Liu Yang from China in the gold medal match, with the aim of becoming the first Algerian to win a gold medal in boxing.
“I’m focused,” said the 25-year-old.
“I’m here to put in a good performance and fulfill my dream. I will give everything I have for the final.”
Khelif had beaten Suwannapheng by unanimous decision at last year’s World Championships but was later disqualified by the IBA.
The crowd chanted her name as she entered the ring in Paris on Tuesday, and the Algerian looked more confident than at any time this week.
He let his guard down in the ring and danced on the canvas after the result was confirmed, and a fight fought in good spirit It ended with a hug between the two athletes.
“I had heard about the news, but I wasn’t following it closely,” Suwannapheng said.
Khelif added: “I am very happy. I am happy for all the support here in Paris.”
“I want to thank all the people of Algeria who came here,” he said.
The debate
The Khelif Games began with a victory against Angela Carini last week, a fight that lasted just 46 seconds before the Italian walked out saying she had to “preserve” her life.
That caused a Widespread debate over the eligibility of Khelif and Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-tingwho was also disqualified by the IBA last year.
The IBA said Khelif “had not met the eligibility criteria to participate in the women’s competition, as set out” in its regulations.
This was followed by comments from the organization’s president, Umar Kremlev, who suggested that Khelif and Lin Yu-ting did not have XX chromosomes for female biological sex, but XY for male.
The IBA never produced the evidence and recently said its details “are confidential” but show that both athletes allegedly “had competitive advantages over other contenders.”
However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said both had been “suddenly disqualified without any due process.”
The IOC, which suspended the IBA in 2019 over concerns about its finances, governance, ethics, refereeing and judging, allowed the two to compete and strongly backed them.
President Thomas Bach said on Saturday that there was “never any doubt” that they are women.
A chaotic press conference held by the IBA on Monday did little to ease the confusion, with key figures in the association giving contradictory statements about why they were banned from competing.
The IOC has said competitors are eligible for the women’s division if their passports say they are female.
He will now see Khelif in the final of his biggest stage in three days.
Lin will fight in her semi-final in the 57kg category on Wednesday.
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- The story of overcoming boxer Imane Khelif, at the center of the controversy after her quick fight with the Italian Angela Carini in Paris 2024
- The controversy over the participation of boxer Imane Khelif in the Paris Games after her fight of just 46 seconds with the Italian Angela Carini