To thunderous cheers, Imane Khelif jumped through the ring, then her trainer carried her through the hall on his shoulders – and the Algerian fan community went crazy: The North African boxer won Olympic gold after almost two weeks of unfortunate discussions about her gender. In sporting terms, the topic is over after a clear victory in the final, and things are unlikely to calm down any more for Khelif.
In the final of the 66 kg class, the 25-year-old won clearly on points against Chinese world champion Yang Liu on Friday evening in the legendary tennis temple of Philippe Chatrier and celebrated the greatest success of her career. After gymnast Kaylia Nemour’s victory on the uneven bars, it was the second gold medal for Algeria in Paris and the second Olympic gold in boxing after featherweight Hocine Soltani in 1996 in Atlanta.
In front of around 14,000 spectators at the almost full Chatrier, many of them with Algerian flags, Khelif, who had previously won 41 of her 50 amateur fights, got off to a much better start and was the more agile boxer in the first round with clear hits. Yang dared more after that, but was not really able to get close to Khelif. Round two also went clearly to Khelif, and the green and white gold party had already begun in the stands – the verdict was drowned out by cries of joy from the stands.
“I am very proud of what I have achieved. I gave everything I had,” said Khelif after the semi-final. “I am concentrating on the competition, other things are not important.” She stuck to this approach in the final, which was – from a purely sporting perspective – the biggest fight of her life so far.
The debate about Khelif, which had been going on in boxing for some time, had steadily intensified since the start of the Games. The case had become a political issue at the latest with Khelif’s opening fight on August 1 against the Italian Angela Carini, who gave up after 46 seconds. The IOC and its president Thomas Bach felt compelled to make a public statement. The International Boxing Association (IBA), which is no longer recognized by the IOC, reacted with a grotesque press conference.
In it, the controversial IBA President Umar Kremlev claimed that Khelif and Taiwanese Lin Yuting, who is also boxing for gold on Saturday, were biological men, as tests had shown. The IBA had therefore excluded Khelif in 2023 before the final of the 2023 World Championship, in which she would have faced her Paris final opponent Yang.
The IOC does not recognize the IBA’s test results and called the association’s actions dubious. “There was never any doubt” that Khelif and Lin “are women,” Bach said.
On social media, Khelif has become the focus of unspeakable pseudo-political discussions and fierce hostility. It is to be feared that her success in Paris will not reduce these.
Source: www.sport.de
