The Big Lead

Olympic Boxer's Controversial Paris Games Ends with Gold Medal

By Joe Lago

Aug 6, 2024; Paris, France; Imane Khelif (ALG) celebrates defeating Janjaem Suwannapheng (THA) in a women's 66kg bronze medal bout during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Roland Garros. Mandatory Credit: Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 6, 2024; Paris, France; Imane Khelif (ALG) celebrates defeating Janjaem Suwannapheng (THA) in a women's 66kg bronze medal bout during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Roland Garros. Mandatory Credit: Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports / Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports
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Caught in the firestorm of a controversy not of her own doing, Imane Khelif said "the best response" to all of the scrutiny over her eligibility in the Paris Olympics women's boxing tournament was to win a gold medal.

Khelif got that final say on Friday.

In what arguably was her best performance at the Paris Games, the Algerian boxer defeated China's Yang Liu 5-0 to capture the gold medal in the women's welterweight division at Roland Garros.

As she awaited the judges' final decision, the 25-year-old Khelif stood with her right hand raised expecting victory. After being officially anointed the champion, she hugged everyone in her corner and then took a celebratory lap outside the ring on the shoulders of her coach while carrying the Algerian flag.

Questions arose about Khelif's gender a week ago, when Italy's Angela Carini quit their round-of-16 bout after just 46 seconds.

Carini's claims that Khelif was "too strong" ignited a firestorm of controversy and subjected Khelif to a nonstop wave of social media abuse. The Paris Games organizers defended their decision to allow Khelif to compete, issuing a statement to reaffirm her eligibility as well as to question Khelif's suspension at the 2023 world championships by the International Boxing Association, which has been at odds with the International Olympic Committee and was banned for the Summer Games.

Carini apologized for her actions and the subsequent fallout involving Khelif. The IBA held a press conference that provided more questions than answers about its gender eligibility testing. However, none of those developments slowed the hate still being directed at Khelif.

Women started showing up at the boxing venue to display their support for Khelif. It continued Friday at Roland Garros, where more women draped in Algerian flags stood in solidarity with Khelif.

One Khelif backer told the Associated Press: “I’m super happy that she got here, and I’m here to support her because she needs it, and she needs women to support her."