Imane Khelif, a boxer, set aside her eligibility dispute to defeat Janjaem Suwannapheng in her semi-final match in Paris, and she will compete for an Olympic gold medal on Friday.
The International Boxing Association (IBA) excluded the Algerian welterweight competitor from last year’s World Championships due to her alleged failure to pass gender eligibility tests. Nevertheless, she is one of two boxers fighting in Paris.
Under the cover of Court Philippe Chatrier, the French tennis stadium converted for the boxing finals, Khelif won by unanimous decision after dominating her Thai opponent.
She was eliminated in the Tokyo quarterfinals three years prior, but this victory guaranteed her a spot in her maiden Olympic final.
In an attempt to become Algeria’s first-ever boxing gold medallist, she will compete against Liu Yang of China in the gold medal match.
“I am focused,” declared the 25-year-old.
“I am here for a good performance and my dream. I will give everything I have for the final.”
At the World Championships the previous year, Khelif defeated Suwannapheng by unanimous vote before the IBA disqualified him. The Algerian appeared more assured than she has at any other time this week as the audience screamed her name as she stepped into the ring.
She let down her guard and danced on the canvas when the outcome was verified, and the two fighters shared an embrace at the conclusion of a friendly fight.
“I had heard about the news regarding her, but I wasn’t following it closely,” Suwannapheng stated.
“She is a woman, but she is very strong. I tried to use my speed, but my opponent was just too strong.”
Last week, Khelif’s Games got underway with a victory over Angela Carini. The Italian withdrew after just 46 seconds, claiming that she “had to preserve” her life.
This caused a great deal of controversy regarding Khelif’s and Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting’s eligibility, who was also ruled ineligible by the IBA in the previous year.
Khelif was declared to have “failed to meet the eligibility criteria for participating in the women’s competition, as set and laid out” by the IBA in its regulations. However, the duo was dismissed “suddenly without any due process” according to the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
The IOC has permitted the two to compete and has firmly supported them. The IOC suspended the IBA in 2019 because to concerns about its finances, governance, ethics, officiating, and judging.
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On Saturday, President Thomas Bach stated that there was “never any doubt” that they are female.
Little was accomplished to clear up the misunderstanding during the IBA’s tumultuous news conference on Monday, as prominent IBA figures gave contradictory explanations for their bans.
According to the IOC, athletes could compete in the women’s division if it was shown on their passport that they were female. Khelif will now compete in its largest stage final in three days, where he has already secured a bronze medal by making it to this semi-final.
On Wednesday, Lin competes in her 57kg category semi-final.
