Imane Khelif said “attacks” over her gender eligibility gave her victory a “special taste” after she won Olympic women’s boxing gold a year after being disqualified from the World Championships.
The Algerian was banned and reported to have failed gender eligibility tests but, having been allowed to compete in Paris, beat Chinese world champion Yang Liu by unanimous decision over five rounds to win welterweight gold.
“I am fully qualified to take part in this competition,” said 25-year-old Khelif. “I am a woman like any other woman.
“I was born a woman. I have lived as a woman. I competed as a woman – there is no doubt about that.”
Khelif said she had been a victim of “bullying” and that the International Boxing Association (IBA) “hate me and I really don’t know why”.
In the arena she was roared to the ring by swathes of Algeria supporters, who waved their green, white and red flags.
Khelif dominated the fight and was showboating at the final bell, dancing while knowing victory was hers, before her and Yang shared a warm embrace.
When the result was confirmed, Yang raised Khelif’s arm in the air – a contrast to the scenes after the Algerian’s opening fight against Italy’s Angela Carini – and the new champion was then carried around a jubilant arena on the shoulders of her coach.
Lin Yu-ting, who was also banned last year under the same ruling, will fight Poland’s Julia Szeremeta in the featherweight final on Saturday.
Khelif had tears in her eyes and was applauded by Lin and bronze medallists Chen Nien-chin of Chinese Taipei and Thailan’s Janjaem Suwannapheng as the Algerian national anthem was played.
How did we get here?
Carini abandoned the first-round bout with Khelif after 46 seconds, saying she had to “preserve” her life.
Khelif, whose previous best result was a world silver in 2022, followed that bout with convincing, unanimous-decision victories to reach the final.
This was expected to be a tougher bout – Yang represented a step up in class – but it proved to be another clear victory.
Yang was due to face Khelif in the final of last year’s World Championship – a title Wang went on to win – but Khelif was disqualified by the IBA before they met.
The IBA said Khelif and Lin “failed to meet the eligibility criteria for participating in the women’s competition, as set and laid out in the IBA regulations”.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC), which runs the boxing events at the Olympics, allowed them to compete, raised doubts about the tests and strongly criticised the IBA, insisting Khelif and Lin were “born and raised as women”.
President Thomas Bach said earlier on Friday that the IOC “does not like the uncertainty” but suggested there is not a “scientifically solid system” to “identify men and women”.
‘Stop bullying’
Khelif said she has been criticised by “enemies of success”.
“That also gives my success a special taste because of these attacks,” she said.
A chaotic news conference held by the IBA last week did little to clear the confusion around Khelif and Lin’s bans.
Chief executive Chris Roberts said the pair had “chromosome tests”, while president Umar Kremlev appeared to suggest the tests determined the fighters’ testosterone levels.
The BBC has been unable to determine what the eligibility tests consisted of.
The Russian-led IBA was stripped of its status as amateur boxing’s governing body by the IOC in 2019 because of fears over its governance and regulation.
“They know me very well,” Khelif said. “They know what I am capable, how I have developed over the years, but now they are not recognised any more.
“They hate me and I really don’t know why.”
Khelif said she had sent a “single message” with her gold – that her “dignity and honour is above everything else”.
“My message to the whole world is that they should to commit to Olympic principles and they should avoid bullying,” she said.
“This is a message of the Olympic values.
“I hope people will stop bullying and commit to the Olympic charter. We are in the Olympic to perform as athletes. I hope we will not see similar attacks in the future.”
What else has been said?
Many of Khelif and Lin’s opponents and their coaching teams have been unhappy with their involvement, indicating a level of discontent behind the scenes.
Immediately after her loss to Khelif, Carini said it “was not right”, although she later apologised for how she handled the moments after the fight. Her coach said he had advised her not to fight, saying people had told her not to “fight a man”.
Before Khelif’s second-round fight, opponent Anna Luca Hamori from Hungary said “I don’t think it is fair”, while the Hungarian Boxing Association protested about Khelif’s inclusion. After the fight Hamori wished Khelif good luck.
Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng said after her semi-final defeat: “She is a woman but very strong.”
Two of Lin’s opponents made ‘X’ gestures – said to be intended to represent female chromosomes – in the ring after defeat.
Bulgaria’s Svetlana Kamenova Staneva left the arena saying “no, no, no” and made the ‘X’ sign.
Before the fight, she said Lin’s presence was “not good for boxing”, while her boxing federation said it “strongly” opposed Lin and Khelif’s participation at Paris 2024.
After losing to Lin in the semi-finals, Turkey’s Esra Yildiz Kahraman made the ‘X’ sign in the centre of the ring.
