VillesPINTE, France (AP) — In an agonizing struggle Saturday after days of intense scrutiny and online abuse as misunderstandings about her gender erupted into a greater dispute over identity in sports, Boxer Imane Khelif of Algeria grabbed a gold at the Paris Olympics.
Khelif beat Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori 5:0 in the women’s 66-kilogram quarterfinals. After handily securing the second win of her turbulent second journey to the Olympics, Khelif will at least receive a bronze medal.
Claims by the International Boxing Association, which has been barred from the Olympics since 2019, that Khelif failed an unidentified eligibility test last year over raised testosterone levels caused controversy. On Thursday at the Paris Games, she won her initial match against Italian opponent Angela Carini, who dropped the fight after only 46 seconds, crying.
Drawing comments from former U.S. President Donald Trump, “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling, and others falsely claiming Khelif was a man or transgender, that unusual ending became a sharp wedge driving into an already prominent divide over gender identity and rules in sports.
LGBTQ+ organizations claim the nasty remarks might endanger their community and female athletes at a Paris Games that support inclusivity and saw additional protests over an opening ceremony performance with drag queens.
The second victory for Khelif in Paris seemed to be an emotional catharsis for the 25-year-old boxer from a northwest Algerian town. Khelif lifted her hand in triumph, then proceeded to the middle of the ring waved to her supporters, knelt, then smashed her palm on the canvas, her grin turning to tears. Her supporters cried when she exited the ring to hug her coaches, then as she went out. Her family and supporters watched proudly from back home in Algeria as she emerged victorious in her second fight.
The boxing organization of Hungary stated Friday that while it intended to challenge the International Olympic Committee, it nonetheless permitted the bout to go. Hungarian IOC member Balazs Furjes accompanied Hamori after the battle to say, “never an option… not to fight.”
Furjes indicated Hungary wasn’t entirely happy but read an ambivalent statement praising both Hamori and the IOC. Khelif paused momentarily to chat to an Algerian television team, then headed directly into the dressing area without pausing for scores of waiting media.
