'I am a strong woman': Imane Khelif after winning Olympic Gold

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif won the gold medal in the women’s 66kg bout against China’s Yang Liu in the final of the Paris Olympics on Friday.

Imane has been in the middle of controversy since her 46-second opening-round bout against Italian boxer Angela Carini, who abandoned the fight midway, suggesting that Khelif was biologically male.

With this victory, Imane Khelif secured Algeria’s first-ever gold medal in women’s boxing and became only the second Algerian boxer to win gold, following Hocine Soltani, who won gold at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

In a surprising gesture, Yang Liu, the Chinese world champion, raised Imane Khelif’s hand after the bout ended, acknowledging her as the superior competitor. Imane had demonstrated her dominance by defeating Liu 5-0 in the final.

Imane Khelif reflected on her journey to Olympic gold with a sense of fulfilment and pride. Through an interpreter, she shared with reporters, “For eight years, this has been my dream. Now, I’m an Olympic champion and gold medalist.”

When asked about the scrutiny she faced along the way, Imane responded, “I am a strong woman, the scrutiny adds a unique flavor to my success. It gives a special taste because of those attacks”, she added.

Khelif’s thoughts turned to the future, where she expressed a wish for a change amidst the gender controversy. “We are in the Olympics to perform as athletes, and I hope that we will not see any similar attacks in future Olympics”, Imane noted after people questioned her eligibility.

What was the controversy surrounding Imane Khelif?

Imane Khelif was embroiled in a gender controversy when her Italian opponent, Angela Carini, protested and halted their fight midway.

Khelif had been disqualified from the International Boxing Association's (IBA) World Boxing Championship last year by the Russia-led International Boxing Federation, which cited her failure to meet eligibility criteria for the women’s competition due to her XY chromosomes, which are typically found in males.

Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-Ting was also barred from that competition for the same reason.

However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which oversees boxing events at the Olympics, permitted both Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting to compete in the Paris Olympics. The IOC based its decision on the fact that both athletes were registered as women on their passports and had been born and raised as women.

IOC President Thomas Bach expressed the organization’s discomfort with the ongoing uncertainty and noted that there is no "scientifically robust system" to clearly distinguish between men and women.